A Silent Dark Knight
by Craniax
Summary: The Caped Crusader's contempt towards Christmas often influences his choice to remain distant from others and focus on work. One stubborn Amazon princess however isn't having it as she goes through great lengths to make sure he isn't alone. The adventure they endure over the holidays will bring them closer and allow Diana to to obtain the best gift she could ask for.
1. Cold Memories

**This story takes place during the Comfort and Joy episode of the Justice League TV series. As I was growing up watching this legendary cartoon, the romantic interaction between Batman and Wonder Woman throughout several episodes made me a die hard fan of this ship. Since these were the only two characters missing from the episode, I often wondered how they spent Christmas.**

**CH1: Cold Memories**

The final days of November had passed and the transition into the holiday season was complete. The trees lost their last leaves as the cold settled in, and snow began to blanket Gotham City. This was a time of celebrating sacrificial love for others in the form of cheerful giving, good works, and most of all, fellowship. All throughout the city people were preparing for the upcoming festivities that would befall upon 24th and 25th of December by buying decorations they didn't need, stocking up on food that would last through New Year's, and spoiling their families with amazing gifts. For many, it was the most wonderful time of the year.

But not so for one billionaire playboy philanthropist. While the famous Bruce Wayne would always find himself participating in the festivities at the beginning of the month, attending many Christmas parties and charity events, he always devolved into a more serious, Scrooge-like individual the closer it got to the 25th. He wasn't greedy like Charles Dickens' protagonist nor did he mistreat his employees at Wayne enterprises. Bruce simply shared his contempt for Christmas, a yearly reminder of who he didn't have due to that fateful night in the alley.

It was the night before Christmas and Bruce was in the Batcave beneath Wayne Manor conducting research on recent robberies targeting shipments of toys. Every job was done professionally leading Bruce to believe there was something more going on.

The elevator in the distance lit up and out came Alfred carrying a hot tea for Bruce. He placed it next to the massive monitor and stood silently off to his side for several seconds before the Bat broke the silence.

"The toys Alfred."

"Beg pardon sir?"

"The toys have to be a distraction. I know there's something else in the works but I can't put my finger on it."

Alfred observed the photos and noticed the catalog listing the merchandise being shipped consisting of multiple action figures based on the Justice League themselves.

"Master Bruce, if you wanted a Superman action figure for Christmas you should have told me well before the holidays. This time of the year you'd be lucky to find any on the shelves at all. No wonder the citizens are resorting to thievery tonight of all nights." Alfred said sarcastically.

"There is one more major shipment due before midnight that is heading to a toy store downtown. I'll track it and intercept the thieves…"

"Sir…"

"and put them behind bars…"

"Sir, it's Christmas Eve. I know I tell you this every year, but secluding yourself to your work during this time of fellowship is not good for you. Take the next couple days off. Gotham City will still be here when you return."

"Crime doesn't rest Alfred."

"Then perhaps you can have some of the other members of the League look after your beloved city while you take a much needed vacation. Superman would be more than willing. Or perhaps the short tempered bird girl with the mace."

"I gave the entire League Christmas Eve and Christmas off. I'm on monitor duty for at least that time."

Alfred sighed in defeat. "I swear sir, it's times like these where I would even settle for you to invite Selina over just so you wouldn't be alone during this time of the year."

"I'm not alone. I have you, my oldest friend."

"You know what I mean master Bruce. Honestly I would trade what life I have left for you to hang up the cowl and lead a normal life. If I could even live to see the day where I walk into the main living room with the love of your life in your arms followed by the echoing sound of your children playing in the halls… that would MAKE my life."

Bruce showed no emotion and merely drank the tea Pennyworth had prepared. He then changed into his costume and headed to the teleporter. He paused by Alfred's side and placed a caring hand on his shoulder.

"Merry Christmas Alfred."

Batman teleported to the watchtower orbiting the planet and Alfred was alone. He looked to the desk Bruce was conducting his research on and dug up a memorable photograph buried beneath the stacks of papers. The photo was of the Waynes, taken well before their tragic murder. Bruce was atop his father's shoulders with a big goofy grin on his face while his mother was coddling her husband's arm.

Alfred gazed at the picture and the longer he looked, the more teary eyed he became.

'Merry Christmas, master Bruce.'


	2. Orbital Bliss

**CH2: Orbital Bliss**

Batman made his way into the main monitor room just as Superman and J'ohn were heading out.

"You sure about this Bruce? It gets awful eerie up here when you're by yourself. Even J'ohn gets offset when he's monitoring, and he's a Martian."

Batman all too eagerly sat down in the main command chair. "It won't bother me. I'm used to it. Besides, distancing myself from the holidays up here is almost… blissful." Batman said as he began booting up the systems.

"You know the invitation is still on the table. Ma and Pa would love to have you over for the holidays."

"Thanks, but I have work to do. The Batcave can only do so much. Up here the instruments are much more sophisticated for my purposes."

Defeated, Superman pat his best friend on the back. "If you change your mind, you know where we are."

J'ohn who was standing silently during the whole exchange followed the man of steel to the teleportation pads and immediately they were warped.

Batman began to work, cross referencing the pattern of hits on the shipments of toys with current active gangs in Gotham City. Consumed by his work an hour managed to pass by and he was caught off guard when he heard the teleportation pad go off again.

"Forget something?" He asked half expecting Superman to have left his favorite pair of glasses. Instead he heard a strong feminine voice.

"I don't believe so…"

Batman turned around to see Wonder Woman in jeans and a fuzzy coat holding a simply wrapped yet heartwarming present in her hands. It was about the size of a toaster and on it was a card.

"What are you doing here?" Batman asked as he turned his attention back to the monitor.

Wonder Woman looked at the humble package she carried and blushed ever so faintly. The warrior bred Amazon was a bit nervous and even questioned whether or not she should be there. "I brought you a gift for Christmas." She smiled.

"I don't do Christmas."

Wonder Woman's made a sour face as her spirits practically sunk to Atlantis hearing Batman's cold response. It wasn't entirely unexpected, but after the trouble she went through to get the gift, she was not about to let that stop her.

"Oh come on. This time of the year is about fellowship and you're up here all alone."

"I chose to be alone. Just like how you chose to come interrupt me while I'm working."

Wonder Woman was seriously irritated. Her eye was twitching and a vein on her forehead was pulsing as the blood rushed. She walked right behind the chair Batman was sitting on and spun him around very quickly forcing him to make eye contact with her very annoyed face.

"I'm not leaving until you accept my gift." She practically demanded.

Batman sighed and knew for a fact if he wanted to get any work done he would have to concede to the Amazon's request. "Put it on the desk."

"You have to promise to open it too."

Batman gave Diana his signature bat-glare leaving no room for interpretation that he was also annoyed.

"You don't have to open it now… or in front of me. Just promise to open it before December is over."

"Fine."

With that interaction Batman swung around his chair in annoyance and went back to work while Diana headed towards the teleporter pads.

"Honestly after everything we've been through I thought this would go much better…" Diana mumbled.

"I don't know why you would think that."

Diana lost it.

"You know what Bruce!?..."

As she was about to go off on Batman, the sensors onboard the watchtower set off an alert and the monitor zoomed in on an entourage of sketchy vans surrounding the last shipment of toys being delivered.

"Gotcha." Batman rose from the chair and brushed past Diana heading for the teleporters leaving her in disbelief. As the caped crusader was about to beam himself down he was stopped by a firm grip on his arm. He saw Diana now in her signature costume giving him a smug grin.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"If you think for one second we are done here then you are in as much trouble as the thugs you're about to beat up. I'm going with you."

While maintaining eye contact with the Amazon Batman finished locking down the coordinates and he pressed enter. In a flash they were gone.


	3. This Isn't a Date

**CH3: This Isn't a Date**

The Batmobile sped through the snowy streets of Gotham in hopes of intercepting the vehicles trailing the shipment of toys. From there the plan was to follow them to the facility where the gang was holding up and finally figure out what they were doing with them.

Wonder Woman sat passenger side observing the light displays as they ventured through downtown. Couples were holding hands sharing a hot chocolate while others were taking pictures, saving the memories on their mobile devices.

"Do you ever see yourself making fond memories with anyone special?" Diana Asked.

Batman merely continued to drive.

"I remember there was a time where my only love was that of battle and the desire to be the strongest Amazon warrior there was. But that all changed once I left the island during the White Martian invasion to help man's world survive it."

The Batmobile rounded another corner and entered the freeway accelerating well over 100mph.

"But as close as I was to my Amazon sisters, I never really shared their hatred of men. Sure, most are animals and some of them can be pretty nasty, even the ones without super powers. But women can be awful as well."

The Dark Knight finally broke his silence. "That's because this world, and everyone in it is inherently evil."

"I agree, which is why we should not take for granted the good that also exists within it. See, the Martian invasion brought out the very worst in some people due to the chaos and I thought my mother was right about your kind. But the chaos also brought out unexpected goodness. While some were taking advantage of the ruckus, others were working together to help those who were in no condition to help themselves."

"What's your point Diana?"

She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and turned her gaze towards the Dark Knight. "The good people in your life are a blessing. So you shouldn't push them away. And who knows, if given the chance, you might be surprised by what they have to offer."

Batman's composure was beginning to falter. He knew Wonder Woman was getting the wrong message and a cringe of guilt briefly appeared on his face. "Look, it's not about trust, it's about…"

As he was about to be frank with the Amazon, Batman noticed the semi-truck with the last shipment of toys up ahead. He slowed down and remained behind multiple vehicles so as to not alarm the hijackers.

"From here on we will follow them to their hideout. Stay focused."

Diana looked annoyed since the genuine response from Bruce was interrupted by the task at hand but she understood. They trailed the truck and it's escorts to a massive warehouse on the pier. There were no people around the proximity and the main entrance was patrolled by armed guards. Batman parked the vehicle in a secure place and ejected both Wonder Woman and himself to a neighboring ridge. Both parties snuck onto the suspicious warehouse's roof from there and observed through the glass skylights the operations that were going on.

The toys were being unloaded via forklift by the crateful. It was like a disassembly line; Multiple thugs were opening the crates while the next "station" would remove the toys from the packaging and toss them aside. What was being kept was the box the toy arrived in. Batman narrowed his eyes as he observed the lackeys split the cardboard backing of the package and pull out a small bag of white powder and empty it into glass vials.

"Cocaine."

"Seriously? That's what these thugs went through all that trouble for? Unbelievable." Diana scoffed.

Batman took out a batarang and threw it at the transformer in charge of that vicinity. It exploded and took out the power inside.

"Take out the ones with guns first." He instructed as Diana smirked.

The confusion in the warehouse evolved into chaos once the skylight was shattered. Batman glided in with his cape fully opened and landed on a thug with an AK-47 and managed to disarm multiple others with batarangs. Wonder Woman threw the forklift at a stack of crates, toppling it onto several thugs. By now everyone's eyes had adjusted to the dark and those that were still armed began to unleash barrages of bullets towards the duo. Wonder Woman took point and deflected all the slugs while Batman threw a concussion grenade at the group.

(BANG)

While the thugs were disoriented the two heroes ran towards them to finish them off.

"For the record, this is the worst date I've ever been on." Wonder Woman said as she grabbed a thug in each hand and threw them into the pile of discarded action figures.

"This isn't a date." Batman retorted as he punched another one in the face following up with a roundhouse kick to his abdomen.

"Oh right. The Batman doesn't date. Unless of course it helps with his crime fighting agenda." Wonder Woman grabbed a crate that was still full of product and hurled it at a concentrated area of thugs.

(CRASH)

"Why are you so afraid of letting anyone in?" She continued.

Batman wrapped a thug with his bola and kicked him towards Wonder Woman who tossed him into what used to be the forklift.

(BAM)

"My work is too important to allow for any distractions."

"Right... Distractions like Talia al Ghul and Catwoman?" Wonder Woman asked skeptically.

By now the thugs were either unconscious or in pain and pretending to be unconscious. They would rather be arrested than to continue fighting two members of the Justice League.

Batman on the other hand would rather be fighting the Joker instead of being grilled by all of these questions. "Those are platonic working relationships."

Diana stood about an inch from his face. "My ass. If you're going to lie to me, at least make it convincing. You're standing on really thin ice right now."

Batman tilted his head in exasperation and swiped his arm in a dismissing motion. "What do you want from me?"

"What I want is…"

The dark warehouse was suddenly lit up dimly with emergency power. The red lights spread evenly along the walls radiated like red beacons illuminating a dark room. From the end of the warehouse a large, tall man emerged in a trench coat and fedora.

"You two argue like a married couple, it makes me sick."

The individual ran straight for the superhero couple and with brute force knocked both of them into the side of the semi truck trailer leaving a massive dent on the side. Diana was the first to recover.

"That stupid little man. You all right?" She grabbed Batman by the arm to help him up.

"Yea, just got the wind knocked out of me."

"He's going to have it a lot worse, believe me." Diana cracked her knuckles eager to even the score. Unfortunately, her thirst for a fistfight was temporarily put on hold due to the sound of gunshots from where the discarded toys were. The goons who had pretended to be knocked out earlier were instilled with confidence now due to the mystery man.

"Keep them busy. I'll take care of the 'little' one." Batman ordered as he rushed to engage the assailant.

The Dark Knight threw a bola at the mystery man's torso binding him. He then leapt and used his momentum to drive a fierce kick right into his gut. But to Batman's surprise, his adversary was only pushed back a few feet or so.

"That wasn't very nice señor Batman." Since he was still in close proximity the hostile headbutted Bruce and knocked him to the ground with a deafening sound.

(CRACK)

Bruce cried out in pain and held his head with both hands as if he had a migraine.

"Oof. That didn't sound good." Breaking the bola's bind the adversary removed his tacky fedora and overly large trench coat to reveal a large muscular man with a black luchador mask with spikes around its neckline. He wore a black tank top, black pants, and attached to his left arm was a device housing a red tube whose length extended all the way to is brain.

Batman got up off the ground and tried to find his balance. His vision was disoriented and he was pretty sure his skull was fractured. "Bane…"


	4. Emergency Escape

**CH4 Emergency Escape**

"It's been awhile hasn't it señor Batman?"

The Dark Knight's vision was finally stable and his keen senses were back. Nevertheless, his head still ached and the pain was pulsing in continuous intervals.

"Since when do you work with mediocre criminals Bane?"

"I may be your greatest nemesis, but I am also a thug for hire, and this job is paying me very well. Ingenious operation isn't it?"

"I've seen more sophisticated drug smuggling schemes in third world countries."

"That may be, but both this operation and my pay are dependent on me being able to fend you and your girlfriend off long enough to relocate."

Batman looked over to where Diana was, occupied with the couple of thugs who were still armed. She was having no problem blocking their bullets and once they ran out she would be able to take them easily. The situation against Bane however was less than favorable.

Bane charged in with a left hook but even with a concussion, Batman was able to use the brute's momentum against him. He grabbed Bane by the incoming arm and flipped him onto the concrete and retreated to safe distance. The luchador on the floor recovered from his surprise and got back up.

"Clearly I need to finish this quickly." Bane smirked as he toggled the button on his gauntlet. Venom was pumped directly into his brain and his body began to enlarge. His muscles became bigger, more defined, and veins were emerging everywhere. Bane was now several T-shirt sizes bigger and looked more monstrous than before. He smashed the ground triggering the warehouse concrete floor to crumble and shoot out from its foundation towards the caped crusader.

Several pieces of rubble hit Batman worsening his already existing concussion. Bane closed the distance between him and his prey and followed up with multiple jabs. Nearly getting hit in the head Batman managed to duck and counter with a swift kick to the luchador's throat.

"Gah, pendejo!" Bane swatted him away like a gnat with his spare arm while he used the other one to hold his neck in pain. Batman hit a drug processing table and knocked it over with both him and the product ending up sprawled on the floor. He now had a couple fractured ribs due to the impact from Bane's backhand to compliment the one on his skull. Bane picked up an unopened crate of toys and calmly walked it towards the Dark Knight intending to flatten him with it.

"Hasta la vista señor Batman."

Batman's eyes widened as he saw the monstrous man approach. He barely managed to get on one knee, mustering enough energy to dodge the wooden crate and hopefully counterattack after the fact. Thankfully Bane's premature boasting was interrupted by a polite tap on his shoulder.

"Excuse me." Diana socked the luchador right in the jaw as soon as he turned around and sent him crashing through multiple product lines eventually ending up in the same semi trailer he previously sent the heroes into. His eyes became the size of saucers as he saw the crate he was lifting moments ago come hurdling through the air straight at him. He rolled out of the way and made eye contact with a cocky Amazon who was smirking at his surprise.

"Estupido. No woman can challenge me!" Bane hastily rushed in to combat Diana bringing down a very sloppy right jab which she dodged easily. He then tried to backhand her the way he did Batman since she was in close proximity but she simply blocked it with her arm guard. Still juiced with venom, Bane made his final move attempting to sock the Amazon right in the face with a simple, overexerted punch.

(THWOP)

The room echoed as Wonder Woman caught Bane's fist with little effort. His jaw dropped since no one he had faced thus far had ever beaten him based on strength alone.

(BAM)

The force of her punch sent Bane flying across the warehouse. On the way down he bounced off the pavement floor and rebounded into a stack of crates which collapsed on him. After a few moments of suspense the clutter shifted and out popped an exhausted luchador. The tube transferring venom to his brain was severed due to the impact, his tank top was ripped, and he managed to stumble for about three feet before he fell to the ground face first.

Batman just eyed his nemesis surprised that the punch inflicted from Diana didn't kill him. The thugs that were shooting at them earlier were incapacitated, and the workers were scattered throughout the warehouse out cold. At this time, the entire waterfront was woken up due to the ruckus and multiple squad cars were heading towards their location. Diana extended her arm to Bruce and helped him fully to his feet. After all, during her skirmishes she did see what type of blows he endured from Bane.

"You ok?" She asked cautiously.

"I'm fine." Bruce replied as he took out his grapple gun.

Diana rolled her eyes and began to fly towards the shattered warehouse skylight but paused when she didn't hear the grapple gun fire. She looked in horror as the Dark Knight collapsed to his knees and kept from faceplanting by supporting himself with his arms on the ground.

"Bruce!" She landed and scooped him up with the utmost care, caressing his head against her bosom. Bruce's vision was blurred and all he could see was the worried look in her eyes as the heat from her chest warmed him up.

As he lost consciousness, Bruce managed to reach into is utility belt and pull out some type of remote. "Take… me home…"

As blackness overtook the caped crusader Wonder Woman gently took the remote from his weakened grasp and gave it a good look. She was overwhelmed by all of the buttons and had no idea what to press. She then noticed a node which had the Bat-symbol on it illuminated red and decided to try her luck. The remote vibrated and emitted an emergency tone for several seconds before it ceased and began blinking.

In a few short seconds the walls of the warehouse closest to where the heroes parked were blasted and in came the Batmobile. It made several tight turns around crates of product and a passed out Bane before it drifted and came to a complete stop mere feet from where the duo was. The cockpit opened and on the dash was a blinking light similar to the one on Batman's remote.

'Hold on Bruce.' Diana loaded him into the passenger seat before strapping herself in the driver side. She then activated the blinking button prompting the Batmobile to seal itself up before departing in a burst of speed, leaving the smell of burnt rubber as the police arrived.


	5. Merely Mortal

**CH5: Merely Mortal**

Alfred Pennyworth was sipping a nice hot tea in the lobby of Wayne Manor reading one of his favorite authors, Shakespeare. Seeing as it was the wee hours of the morning on Christmas day and Bruce still hadn't returned, he figured he would treat himself to Romeo and Juliet while he was "off during the holidays". The truth of the matter was that Bruce was often preoccupied with his caped crusader business even during this time of the year. So while other butlers and chefs of rich households would slave away getting the preparations and food ready, Pennyworth would just kick back and relax.

A sudden alarm through the mansion echoed through the halls scaring the living daylights out of Alfred prompting him to fling both his tea and book across the room.

"Good heavens! What on earth!" The butler looked at his smartwatch and saw a glowing red bat symbol flashing in intervals. "Oh no…" He booked it to the grandfather clock in the mansion and pulled on one of its weights inside where the pendulum resided. The antique unlocked a secret passageway which Alfred rushed down, eventually ending up in the Batcave. He prepared the medical bay and dawned his scrubs. Scalpels were laid out on a tray, IV's were wheeled next to the instruments, and the surgical table was sterilized. All that was left was for the patient to make it back in one piece. A couple minutes later the Batmobile docked into its port and the cockpit revealed the couple seated in the front.

Alfred was caught off guard when a muscular woman taller than him emerged with a puzzled look in her eyes carrying Batman bridal style. They both stared at each other before Alfred broke the silence.

"You must be Diana. Quick, bring master Bruce over here!"

Wonder Woman set him on the surgical table without question and Pennyworth went to work.

The top part of Bruce's costume had been removed and Alfred carefully wrapped his ribs with bandages. He made sure the bind was strong enough to keep them from moving, but not too tight so as to disrupt the healing process. He then removed the ice pack he had placed on his head and wrapped it thoroughly.

While Bruce was being tended to, Diana was on a medical stool watching in worry. Her eyes never parted his location as he was being wrapped in layers like a mummy. Alfred saw her concern and decided that idle chit chat was the best way to ease off her discomfort.

"You know this is not nearly the worst shape master Bruce has been in. That should be evident considering how much medical equipment I HAVEN'T use so far." He joked.

Wonder Woman knew he was trying to comfort her but the conversation starter was not too helpful. "He's had worse?" She deadpanned.

The humble butler chuckled nervously knowing he should have used a different approach to break the ice with her.

"I suppose that's to be expected… him being a mere mortal and all… this line of work is bound to cause some injuries." She continued.

Alfred raised an eyebrow at that remark. "Have you never sustained an injury from battle my lady?"

Diana pondered this for a bit and looked sheepish.

"Even the Greek gods had their struggles in the wars they fought. The Titans, the Giants, every adversity they faced tested their strength and resilience. However, this "mere mortal" as you put it always gets back up to fight again… even without immortality or divine powers."

Diana was taken aback by his compelling response. When she actually thought about it, he was right. Batman was the only one in the Justice League without any powers and yet he constantly goes on mission and fights by their side. When the White Martians invaded, Batman worked alongside Martian Manhunter and Diana to take out an outpost they had set up. During the battle however, Batman got separated from the two and was shot at with plasma rifles multiple times. Had it not been for J'ohn mentally shielding him, he would not have survived.

Additionally he also protects Gotham on his own. Against monsters like Bane and other super villains… all by himself with nothing but a Bat-suit and his wits.

Alfred finished and took off his gloves, scrubs, and medical mask.

"Will he be all right?" She asked.

"He has a concussion, a hairline fracture on his skull and two bruised ribs."

Diana's eyes were as big as saucers when Alfred went down the list of injuries Bruce had.

"He'll be perfectly fine. As I said, this is nothing compared to what he has gone through in the past."

Diana stood up from her seat and walked over to get a better look at Alfred's medical treatment. After washing his hands Alfred poured himself a hot cup of tea to replace the one he destroyed earlier, and one for Diana.

The two sat together as they waited for Bruce to come to.

"You know… when I talked to master Bruce yesterday about coming into the mansion with the love of his life in his arms, this isn't quite how I pictured it."

Diana spit out her tea and began to cough due to the awkward statement. "Hrg… WHAT?"

Pennyworth continued to sip his tea calmly. "I'm not sure how you youngsters do it now, but back in my day, the boyfriend would be the one to carry the girl into his home, not the other way around. But to each their own I suppose."

The Amazon princess was now beet red and was staring at the reflection in her tea. "We're not… I mean I don't think we are…"

"It's not every day Bruce trusts a colleague with the location of his home."

"He was wounded."

"Nevertheless, this is a sanctuary that very few get to see."

Wonder Woman looked around the Batcave noticing many signature mementos. The T-rex from Dinosaur Island, an oversized playing card from an encounter with Joker, the giant penny from battling Two-Face, it was like a museum. On the main monitor she could see the information still pulled up on the shipment of toys they both managed to track earlier, and off to the side were tubes housing multiple alternative bat costumes.

"I'm not sure what we are. Even after everything we've been through, the battles we fought together, the intimacy we have shared, it seems that it doesn't matter to him. He's always finding excuses to why it can't happen…"

"The path Bruce has chosen to follow makes it very difficult to possess a personal life… and personal relationships. But it's not impossible."

"Talia? Catwoman?"

Alfred merely shrugged. "Both damsels are good examples of how a good balance can be achieved between work and personal affairs. But when it came down to it, both ended up leaving."

"Why?"

"Who knows. Batman and Talia were practically married, and Seli… Catwoman would patrol the city with him night after night. Perhaps it was differences between their moral compasses. Maybe it was because the world saw more of Bruce Wayne than they ever did. But regardless, the biggest dealbreaker to anyone who has come to know him intimately is time. He can be gone for days, sometimes weeks during a stakeout and often puts off his responsibilities in the real world for the cowl."

Diana was getting to see a tiny glimpse of what Bruce's life was like as Batman and for a moment, she felt as if she walked into something to big too handle. Her daze was interrupted when Pennyworth topped off her tea.

"If you are serious about him, you can't let what he says get to you. Quite often the ones he wishes to protect the most, he pushes away the farthest." He smiled. "So at the very least, you do know he cares about you." Alfred began heading up the stairs into the main mansion. "If he needs me tell him I'll be preparing his painkillers for when he fully wakes up."

The butler disappeared and Diana was left alone with one banged up bat who was just now starting to regain consciousness. He groaned in pain and shifted in the surgical chair a bit before Wonder Woman stabilized him.

"Easy. You sustained several injuries."

"Tell me something I don't know…" Bruce responded as he put a hand on his head trying to manually stop the dizziness.

Diana was trying to think of a conversation starter but in this situation she didn't know what to say. Anything would be better than the icebreaker Pennyworth used earlier… right?

"How do you feel?" She asked innocently.

Batman was dumbfounded she would even ask a question like that in the state he was in. "I'm wrapped in bandages… and my head feels like it exploded… how do you think I feel?"

Diana smacked herself mentally. DUMB question. Still, Bruce didn't have to be so rude about it. "I think I liked it better when you were unconscious." She crossed her arms and looked away in annoyance.

"What happened to Bane and the thugs?"

"Oh the police picked them up as we were making our getaway."

The Billionaire Playboy got up from the surgical table and began to head for the stairs.

"Hold on." Diana demanded.

"What…" Bruce said without emotion.

"I was hoping we could pick up where we left off in our conversation in the Batmobile…"

"No."

"What? Why not?"

"Tonight proved how dangerous things could get were we to pursue anything. You were constantly taking away my focus from the fight and kept asking stupid questions. I can't take care of Gotham efficiently with distractions."

Diana's blood began to boil. "Don't forget, I'm the one who took Bane down when you couldn't."

"Don't remind me."

"Right, don't want to add insult to injury. Or… injuries." Diana smirked.

Batman turned around to face her and she was met with a very deadly glare.

"Sorry. That was in poor taste."

Bruce closed the gap between them so that he was inches away from her face. He looked into her blue eyes with his dark ones daring her to keep joking around. The tension in the room could be cut with a butter knife and the only thing your could hear was the water dripping from the stalactites and the bats flying overhead.

Bruce's glare lessened as he began to speak. "I'm only going to say this once, so listen carefully."


	6. Serious Implications

**CH6: Serious Implications**

Diana prepared herself mentally for the exchanged of words that was about to take place. She expected Bruce to bring out a literal file full of documents on why they couldn't be together and a complimenting file on why he didn't do Christmas.

"Listen carefully." Bruce began. "Assuming you get what you want, and we start seeing each other, what would happen?"

Diana was confused by the facets of his question. "Why does it only have to be based on what I want? I know you feel the same way as I do. When we saved Gorilla City, you were the only one who even bothered to dig through the rubble in hopes of finding me alive. When we took down Vandal Savage in Kasnia, we complimented each other on the battlefield and made one heck of a team. So the question is, why are you so stubborn as to deny what's clearly laid out in front of you?"

Bruce was practical. "What do you think would happen if our enemies found out we were seeing each other? All it would take is one coordinated attack to get leverage on one of us and then what? I could be blackmailed to reveal my identity, you could be exploited in ways I don't want to think about. Bottom line is, relationships within the team always lead to disaster. We cannot focus on fighting crime if we are worried about each other on the field."

"Oh come on. If you're worried about me, I can take care of myself."

"Lois said something similar to Superman. And yet she has been kidnapped by his enemies in order to get to him more times than I can count."

"I'm not Lois, or Talia, or Catwoman. I'm Diana of Themyscira, princess of the Amazons, whose strength is comparable to Superman's. You think your enemies would be able to subdue me?"

"Maybe not physically. But hypothetically, if they were to capture and threaten to kill me, what would you do?"

"I'm sure you could escape with ease…"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I ASKED!"

Diana was startled by the yelling and a look of sadness overwhelmed her. While she was letting her emotions drive her responses, Bruce was using logic.

"I would do pretty much anything to get you back safely." She replied.

"That's the problem." Bruce replied coldly. "Leverage on one of us is leverage on both of us. I refuse to put either of us in a position where we would have to sacrifice a piece of ourselves for a situation like that."

"So that's it? You're going to let these risks get in the way of what would otherwise be a happier life for you?"

"It's not about being happy, it's about doing what's right. Even if it means pushing people away."

"So you don't trust me…"

"It's not about trust, it's about protecting you… and myself."

"That's such bull…"

"Alfred will see you out."

Bruce disappeared at the top of the steps leaving one very confused, pissed off Amazon in the dimly lit cave. She stomped her foot in anger leaving a crater in the platform.

'Hera…' She pled. 'Give me strength.'

The Amazon made her way into the mansion and had no idea where to go. The place had so many hallways, rooms, and open areas it was all so overwhelming in her emotional state. Catching a whiff of cooking she followed her nose straight into the kitchen. Alfred Pennyworth was preparing enough food for the day and was pleasantly surprised to see Diana.

"Mistress Diana, I trust your chat with master Bruce was productive?" Alfred slipped a tray containing a hickory smoked ham into the oven. He turned around and noticed the princess's eyes were watery and she looked distraught.

"Oh dear…" Removing his apron and oven mitts he made his way to the side of the kitchen she was on and placed a caring hand on the Amazon's shoulder.

"I tried Alfred… But he's just so…" In her anger she crushed the marble countertop with her bare hands and pieces of it scattered throughout the floor. "Sorry…" She said quietly.

"Quite alright, I've been trying to convince master Bruce into remodeling the kitchen anyway. Perhaps something a little more dark like black granite would suite this area of the mansion better." He smiled.

Diana tensed up not knowing what to do. The conversation between her and Bruce kept replaying in her head and each time her demeanor became more bitter.

"How can you stand to work for a man like that!" She exclaimed.

Alfred thought about it for a quick second. "I imagine the loyalty I have for Bruce stems from the same qualities he possesses that captivated your affections."

Even in her state, Wonder Woman felt a blush manifest on her glorious cheekbones. Nevertheless, the Amazon had her first taste of a broken heart. While the feelings were still there, she was in pain.

"Everything he said to me… made perfect sense. And I hate it."

"Bruce does have that nasty habit of being right most of the time. Although, there are those glorious moments where I very rarely get to tell him 'I told you so'."

Diana glanced at the humble butler wondering what he meant.

"Were you to confront him about your feelings any other time, I think he would have taken it a lot better. But my lady, today is Christmas, one of the most vulnerable times of the year for him."

Diana felt a tad bit guilty. She had no idea.

"When Bruce lost his parents his life was forever changed. He stopped being a child and stepped up to become strong enough to take care of himself. He found many ways to cope throughout the years most notably his caped crusader commitment. But the very first Christmas he had to spend without Thomas and Martha, well, the brave face he had begun to build fell apart like a ton of bricks. He was so broken that day… I'll never forget how he never had a bite of the dinner I made for him nor did he open any presents. His emotions blocked his hunger and childness completely."

Feeling an awful feeling in her gut, Diana clenched the marble countertop even harder. She figured that she would be able to show up unannounced in the watchtower bearing a gift and it would go over well. Unaware that every effort she made recently would be a constant reminder of Bruce had lost all those years ago.

"Losing his parents was an eye opener to how vulnerable people can be. Especially anyone close to him, be it through their own weaknesses, or them being exploited to harm another party. Thus he has been very careful to avoid close personal relationships, as Bruce Wayne, and Batman."

"Must be such a lonely life."

"He does occasionally… ahem… indulge in the pleasantries of being a billionaire playboy philanthropist. But you are correct in assuming that none of it fills the void his parents left."

Wonder Woman wiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I know you are fond of him, but your goal can't be to rescue him from the darkness. He has embraced it. Instead your focus should simply be to support him through the trials he will face later. And perhaps maybe one day, Bruce will finally let you in." Alfred comforted her.

Reignited with passion the Amazon Princess had a smile of confidence on her face. She handed the big piece of marble she "accidentally broke" from the countertop to Alfred who just accepted it with an annoyed look.

"Thanks Alfred." She gave him a hug and as she was about to leave, he handed her a piece of paper with an address on it.

"If you are serious about him, this would be the chance to show him how much."

"What is it?"

"It's where master Bruce goes every Christmas."


	7. Comfort and Joy

**CH7: Comfort and Joy**

Bruce was outside walking down a small dirt road that originated from the mansion grounds and led to a hill a good distance away. The further he walked, the smaller his manor looked putting everything he still had into perspective. Truth be told, he would give up everything just to see his parents again.

"It's incredible how small we really are isn't it dad?"

Bruce had since arrived at the mausoleum on top of the big hill with a big engraving on it.

'_Here lie Thomas and Martha Wayne_'

"Hey mom, glad I could make it this Christmas. Thankfully the case I was working on was wrapped up this morning. I had… help."

Bruce stood in the cold with a thick trench coat and remembered the teamwork Diana and him displayed at the waterfront.

"When I was a kid, before the incident, all I had to worry about was my next tutoring session or tennis lesson. I would always ask questions on how the world worked, how cars ran, why planes flew, and you guys would always take time out of your day to explain it to me."

As the normally emotionless man continued the touching one-sided conversation, his voice began to falter, tears began forming in his eyes, and he clenched his fists like a vice.

"But one question I wish I had asked before you were taken from me, something I couldn't have cared less about as a kid, but matters to me now, is how you two met." He said weakly. "I remember you treated mother with the upmost respect and love, and always put us first, dad. No matter how busy you were with Wayne Enterprises, you always found time for your family. I remember mother would always coddle you even when you were in a bad mood, and you would get annoyed so she would hold you tighter. What made it work between you two?"

He approached the mausoleum and put his hand on the outer wall. The cold stone sapped away his body heat but he did not pull back.

"Granted, neither of you dressed in a costume to fight crime so I suppose it was a little easier for both of you to find common ground and commit. But even billionaires have some inherent danger attached to them just for being wealthy. They can be targeted for a hit, or kidnapped for a ransom, but you two pledged your lives to each other anyways, regardless of the risks…"

A painful flashback of the thug in the alley pulling the trigger on his father and mother came back to him. It was brief, but it was all it took for him to regain his composure. Bruce nullified his tears before they started streaming down his cheeks with his coat jacket and distanced himself from his parent's resting place by a couple feet.

"And look what happened."

The cold wind began blowing his coat dramatically as the tiniest snowflakes began to descend. One landed on his scowl which he wiped away immediately.

"The first Christmas without you was hard. I though I was prepared for it but I ended up becoming a complete mess that day. Thankfully Alfred was there so I wasn't completely alone. But I think that was all it took for the reality to settle in that you both were indeed gone for good. Since then, I have held high distaste for the holidays, a yearly reminder of what was taken from me…"

The billionaire dug into his trench coat and pulled out two simple roses which he placed in the concrete square at the base of the mausoleum designed to hold gifts.

"I miss you both very much."

With his personal venting out of the way, Bruce shifted the subject to a more pressing and somewhat humorous matter.

"Times like this where I could use some fatherly advice." He rubbed his neck nervously. "There's this… woman, a persistent woman, one who obviously cares for me. But the line of work we are in could make it detrimental should we start seeing each other. She doesn't see it, but I do. So I push her away and show no interest even though… I might. I mean she wouldn't be the first, but there is something about her that almost makes me regret the distance I put between us. We have fought together on multiple occasions, shared some intimate moments due to exigent circumstances, and we both have a passion for fighting for what's right. She's a remarkable woman, a warrior," Bruce remembered the humble little present Diana dropped off before they went on their mission, "and a kind friend. But it's too risky. I can't in good conscience put myself in a situation that is bound to be disastrous in the long run..."

Bruce was caught completely off guard when he heard the sound of boots squeaking in the snow. Through the light snowfall he saw a feminine silhouette approach and it took every ounce of his strength not to lash out at her. Didn't she get the message earlier? And yet she had the nerve to keep persisting all the way to his parent's grave site. The sheer disrespect was unfathomable to Bruce. He was in a mixed state of vulnerability with his parents and pure rage with his privacy being infringed upon.

"Alfred has quite the pair on him to tell you where I am. But the utter audacity you have to come on this sacred hill, UNINVITED!... is a complete violation of my…"

Bruce's yelling stopped in its tracks when he saw Diana. She was still in her heroine costume due to the fact that she left her winter outfit on the watchtower. Snow trickled onto her cheeks, cleavage, and exposed shoulders, melting on impact. She also was in a mixed emotional state consisting of confidence blended with pure fear. She knew she was risking everything by coming uninvited, and yet here she was. She carried a fresh bouquet of roses which radiated in the snowfall due to the bright red color.

The closer she got, the more Bruce felt… funny. It was a humbling feeling, completely opposite of what he felt when he first saw her approach. The sensation was complimented with warmth every time he focused on her gorgeous face. After all the lectures, the yelling, the intentional hurtful things he has told her, she was still bearing a simple, heartfelt smile.

Diana placed the bouquet next to his own pair of roses and then stood right by Bruce. She didn't take advantage of the situation to coddle his arm or put her head on his broad shoulder. Instead she observed the Wayne's resting place with him respectfully in silence. After a while she finally spoke.

"If you ever need to talk, when you're ready, I'll be here." Diana kissed Bruce on the cheek goodbye and began to make her way down the hill. The gesture wasn't embarrassing like the one she gave him in Gorilla City nor was it flirtatious in intent. The sweet purpose of bringing the bouquet for his parents, the respectful silence she granted him during this time of mourning, and the departing act was having an unexpected impact. It was as if literal layers of ice were melting around Bruce's cold heart.

He looked at Diana as she started to disappear in the snowfall, her footsteps in the white substance fading as the snow settled. She was a sweet person with good intentions, and he was letting her walk away. With guilt in his heart he faced his parent's mausoleum one last time.

"Would you have let mom walk away if it meant keeping her safe that night?"

Bruce let out a deep sigh into the cold, the warmth of his breath puffed up like a cloud as he finally swallowed both his pride, and concern.

"No, you would have loved her anyway and accepted the consequences… right dad?"

Bruce began to walk quickly down the hill in hopes of catching up to Diana. He had no idea what he was going to say but he sure was not going to let whatever they had end like this. His parents would have wanted better for him. And although he had no intention of giving up the cowl, he was willing to at least compromise a little.

Would a relationship be risky? Obviously. Assuming that the pair would end up together that is a danger any hero cannot avoid. But it didn't mean they couldn't prepare for it. As the logical man Bruce was, he knew a relationship wasn't the best way to go right off the bat. But repaying a kind gesture with kindness instead of a cold demeanor would be a good place to start.

Bruce could see the princess's figure appear through the flakes as he caught up.

Thirty meters. Then twenty.

To his dismay the Amazon began to fly off into the winter storm and he knew once she was out of range there would be no seeing her until the next Justice League mission. He wasn't about to let that happen.

'Dammit.' He thought as his fast paced walk turned into a sprint. "Diana!"

She stopped midair and had a confused look on her face when she saw the billionaire out of breath on the ground. She descended quickly wondering what was wrong.

"You alright?" She asked.

Between his heart racing and the cold wind chilling his throat, Bruce struggled to create a concise sentence.

"I umm, that is…" He began to manifest a nervous sweat. The playboy philanthropist of Wayne Manor was having trouble talking to a girl. "I wanted to say, I'm sorry."

Now having more of an understanding of what Bruce has been through, Diana managed a smile of empathy.

"And… my place isn't too far from here..." He continued.

Diana lifted a curious eyebrow as she turned to see that the mansion was literally within walking distance. Awkward statement right?

"What I meant to say," Bruce finally managed to spit it out, "Is if you would like to stay for Christmas dinner?"

Diana's smile of sympathy evolved into one of joy as she beamed with happiness. She grabbed Bruce's hand in both of hers.

"I'd love to."


	8. Snowball Fight

**CH8: Snowball Fight**

Alfred Pennyworth was in the mansion's library reading Romeo and Juliet once again. He was on the second story of the balcony overlooking the main floor seated at a simple table with a lamp. In the middle of turning a page he heard the door at the base of the room open and caught chills as the cold air made its way through the shelves and up to his floor.

"Dinner is well underway master Bruce."

Pennyworth shifted his attention to where the frosty wind was coming from and was surprised to see Diana walk in with Bruce right behind her. She was wearing his thick trench coat to protect her from the snowfall leaving Bruce exposed though he showed no discomfort. After shutting the door he looked at her awkwardly before informing Alfred what was happening.

"Umm Alfred, could you prepare a little extra for dinner. We are having a guest for the evening."

A look of sheer happiness overcame the humble butler's face as he shot up from the chair and tossed his book aside yet again.

"Jolly good sir!" He immediately headed toward the kitchen to make extra amenities for the Amazon princess but paused at the library entrance. "Just so you know, it will probably be a couple more hours for the full meal to be prepared." He raised an eyebrow with a playful look on his face. "Meaning you two have practically all the time in the world to… well I'm sure you will keep each other entertained."

Bruce was glaring at Alfred with a bright red face whilst Diana gave her undivided attention to the nearest inanimate object out of embarrassment.

"Thanks Alfred." Bruce seethed through his teeth as the Amazon princess managed a giggle.

With the butler gone it was now just the power couple.

"You really don't have to make extra. I don't eat much, plus I don't want to inconvenience you." Diana voiced taking off the thick coat.

"Nonsense. There is plenty of time left in the day to get it done. Besides, I invited you for dinner so it's my job as the host to be able to sustain you with my home."

Bruce took back his coat back which he hung on the rack and then stood in silence. Aside from work he and Diana didn't really know each other that well so it was hard to come up with a conversation. This certainly wasn't the first time he brought a girl back to the mansion, but it was the first time in which he was a bit unsure on how to approach one. The arrogant playboy act worked on the women he saw as a means to cope or when it came to business, he didn't care whether they left in the morning or not. Diana however was different, seeing as he wanted to make sure she stuck around in the long run. Thankfully she was the one to initiate conversation first.

"I've never seen so many books in a person's home before. This collection almost rivals the Great Library on Themyscira."

Bruce observed how high the bookshelves rose requiring a rolling ladder to access anything above the sixth tier. Even though the collection was impressive he knew she was just exaggerating.

"Honestly I'm not completely certain what all I have in here. Most of this collection was my father's. He was very fond of historical literature as well as Charles Dickens and Shakespeare."

"The books I was most fond of were that of Greek stories and poetry. Odysseus was one of my personal favorites."

"I remember studying that in high school. The book reports were annoying."

"But wasn't it fun to read?"

"It would have been had the instructor not assigned it. Any literature that you are forced to read automatically becomes a chore and not fun at all." Bruce shuddered remembering the page requirement he had to meet for that assignment.

"Are there any books you did enjoy reading from school?" Diana asked as she made her way down the shelves.

"One of Shakespeare's short stories, The Cask of Amontillado, was an enticing read."

"Ah the revenge story. I guess it makes sense why you would enjoy that one."

"Yes well, I empathized with Montresor and his scheme was suspenseful to see unfold."

Diana made her way to the edge of the shelf and paused at the large window perpendicular to it which gave a great view of the manor's courtyard. The snowfall was consistent but wasn't heavy enough to obscure vision. The green bushes were covered in the substance like syrup topped off ice cream cones. Additionally the shrubbery that were pruned into animals caught her attention consisting of a couple elephants, giraffes, and other impressive works.

"Why the animals? It looks like a zoo out there."

Bruce just stared out the window in a daze before he responded.

"That's exactly the point." His expression remained the same but the tone of voice indicated a touchy subject. "We used to take family trips to the Gotham Zoo when I was a kid. I thought all the exotic animals were the funniest looking creature on the planet. Eventually father hired some landscapers to give me my own inanimate zoo in the courtyard so to speak."

"Oh." Diana once again had no idea. It was a strange situation for her, being that she wanted to connect to Bruce but risked brining up his childhood trauma every time she talked. She was going to need a different approach.

She grabbed Bruce's arm and dragged him outside into the courtyard. He was hesitant at first and gave her the most suspicious look. They just came from outside after all and neither of them were fully dressed for the cold. After separating from him she ventured off behind the wall of bushes near the elephant as Bruce looked at her confused.

"Aren't you cold?" He yelled.

"Trust me, you'll want to take off a couple layers in a bit."

Bruce merely stared into the sky as he saw the millions of flakes trickle down like shooting stars. He was puzzled when he saw one abnormally large, round "snowflake" head right towards his face. He caught the snowball with quick reflexes and winced as some of the ice managed to slip between his fingers and onto his face.

'That's odd.' He thought as he saw more snowballs fly his way. He tucked and rolled to avoid being hit and noticed a mischievous Amazon ducking behind the elephant-shaped bush.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Oh come on. Have a little fun Bruce!" She responded as she began stockpiling ammo.

Bruce looked at the ground and begrudgingly began shaping one of his own. He threw it at the top of the elephant where there was a bunch of snow accumulated. The impact knocked a good portion off right onto the unsuspecting Amazon at the bottom. The courtyard echoed with her surprised shivering yelp.

"Bruce!"

Diana emerged from behind the bush with the powdered substance all over her.

"Bet you wish you had a coat now." Bruce smirked.

Diana, now in a warring mood, began to take the pile of snow that drifted off her and shape it into a massive snowball the size of a person which she lifted effortlessly. She levitated into the air and began to close in on the wide-eyed billionaire.

"Now Diana be reasonable!" He shouted as he began to look for anything that could provide cover. "Do you know how heavy a snowball that size can be to a normal human being?"

"You better not get hit then." She grinned evilly as she threw the boulder-sized snowball like a shotput.

Bruce backtracked to avoid Diana's prediction and managed to avoid being pelted… or killed. However the force she threw it at resulted in a massive explosion sending snow everywhere. A good portion of the mansion's courtyard pillars were now consumed in the white substance.

Diana noticed a moving pile next to one of the columns and out emerged a snow covered Bruce. He brushed it off his face in annoyance and just narrowed his eyes at her.

"What? You played dirty first." She smirked.

Bruce took out a remote from his pocket and the button he activated split the pool in half. A platform emerged with a large bat-like mech suit with armor and a glowing insignia in the middle. It was his Thrasher suit which he has used to take on strong enemies and even Superman. The cockpit opened and he hopped in giving Diana a smirk of his own.

"That's not fair!" She exclaimed.

With Bruce sealed inside, the Thrasher shoveled a blob of snow towards her with the equivalent force of an avalanche. Diana was propelled through the courtyard trimming several bushes along the way before hitting the ground like a meteorite and piling dirt as the trench she was making got deeper.

As she pried herself from the ground, Diana felt the adrenaline coursing through her system. Her heartbeat increased and she felt more excited realizing what a challenge Bruce would actually be. An originally intended innocent snowball fight ended up becoming a gladiator sport and she was completely thrilled.

…

Chopping up vegetables in the mansion's kitchen was Alfred who was humming a simple tune as he sautéed the sides. His head was full of silly imaginations of what Bruce and Diana were up to and what would end up happening.

'You better not botch this up you hooligan.' Alfred thought knowing how Bruce could be.

Carrying the tray of food into the dining area he was shaken literally as vibrations echoed through the mansion halls like an earthquake making him drop what he was carrying. He stared as the vegetables scattered all over the floor in irritation.

'Honestly, I didn't think their activities would be this rambunctious.' Another wave of seismic quakes rumbled as he rushed to catch certain delicate decorations as they fell from the walls they were nailed to. 'Good heavens, I do hope master Bruce doesn't break anything else today… I'm not fixing him up twice in one day…'

…

Diana eventually embedded the Thrasher into the ground straddling it with a triumphant smirk on her face. Her hair was messed up and she had snow in places she didn't want to think about. She held a singular snowball in her hand and waited patiently.

The cockpit opened revealing a distraught Bruce who was looking over his battle suit. The inside of it was sparking like crazy while the arms and chest plate were dented from the heavy snowballs the princess chucked at it during their scuffle. Finally making eye contact with her he couldn't help but notice the ball of ice in her hand.

"You've got to be kidding me." He cringed.

Diana playfully smashed the snowball on his head. "To the victor go the spoils." She stroked his cheek tauntingly and hopped off the Thrasher heading for the mansion while fixing her tiara. Bruce merely smirked and followed close behind as he brushed the white powder off his black hair.

"Now what?" He asked curiously.

"Now…" She turned to face him, "we warm ourselves up."


	9. Interlocked

**Warning: Minor lemon ahead. Read at your own discretion.**

* * *

**CH9: Interlocked**

Bruce looked back at his courtyard and saw the destroyed foliage and improvised landscaping that was the result from the skirmish he had just endured. He observed as his Thrasher armor continued to short out, eventually exploding. Black smoke arose from the metal husk into the snowy sky and Bruce just stared blankly as the metal shards landed throughout his yard.

'Alfred is not going to be happy…'

Diana tugged on his hand mid thought and both made their way to the much needed warmth of the mansion. They trailed through the snow to a different entrance emerging in the main living room cold, wet, and exhausted.

"That was fun."

Bruce just deadpanned her.

"You destroyed $50,000 worth of custom retrofitted armor and rearranged my courtyard… speak for yourself." Bruce retorted.

Diana just coddled his arm. "You were the one who decided to bring out that expensive toy." She was cold to the touch and Bruce could feel her shivering. He was a bit warmer considering he had a couple more layers on him, but they were not waterproof. The snow melted into the wool turtleneck sweater he had and his socks were soaked.

The superhero couple made themselves comfortable at the mansion's master fireplace. It was surrounded by multiple couches with the largest one right in front of the radiating heat. Diana was the first to settle down on the plump cushion as she whipped her wet hair towards the blaze neck down in an attempt to dry it.

Bruce took off his shoes and placed them by the fire. He then removed his socks which were sopping wet and put them on the warm brick to dry them quicker. Water dripped onto the wooden floorboards of his mansion forming a small puddle at the base of the fireplace.

"I didn't realize my socks could hold the Gotham River in them."

"That's cute." Wonder Woman removed her high heel boots and poured a good amount of melted snow from each of them, forming a bigger puddle on the floor. "Try half an ocean." She smirked.

Bruce looked annoyed as he watched the water make its way across the floor and under one of his end tables.

"Thanks for not making a mess…" He said sarcastically.

"I do my best."

While the atmosphere surrounding the flames was warm, both couldn't shake the uncomfortable feel of their drenched clothing. The fabric stuck to their skin and the simplest of movements would make a sloshy sound due to the water in the fabric being displaced.

"Maybe we should…"

"Yea." Bruce cut her off. He left the living room for a brief moment eventually returning with a comfy bath robe.

"Sorry, I don't really have any women's clothing in the mansion."

"That's surprising." Wonder Woman retorted suspiciously as Bruce gave her a glare. The Amazon smirked as she began to take off her signature outfit much to Bruce's awkwardness. He turned around respecting the Amazon's privacy and held out the robe urging her to take it.

"I'm done." Diana's outfit was now besides Bruce's socks drying off and she was completely covered. The robe outlined her gorgeous figure and certain other "traits" could be seen due to the remaining moisture on her skin soaking into it. She closed the gap between them and grabbed his turtleneck sweater. "Your turn."

She removed the soaked layer gently exposing a long sleeve shirt underneath. She stripped that off as well expecting to see Bruce's muscular chest but was instead met with a long sleeve thermal to her annoyance.

"Seriously?" She rolled her eyes.

"What? Unlike you I was actually prepared to go outside."

Diana gave him a playful grin as she literally ripped the shirt in half in order to remove it. "Bet you weren't prepared for that."

Bruce's jaw dropped slightly as the princess tossed what used to be his thermal to the ground. "I didn't expect to have my $60 shirt ripped in two today, so no."

Diana's mischievous attitude disappeared when she saw Bruce's chest. It was still bound due to his fight with Bane earlier. What parts were exposed were scarred, spreading across his pectorals and disappearing under the bandages. A look of worry overcame the princess as she traced the abrasions on his skin.

"How did you get these?"

"That one was from Scarecrow."

"And this one."

"Penguin."

"You got these scars from fighting a wheat crop guard and a cute Antarctic bird?"

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "The king of fear fights with a scythe that has insane reachability. And the 'cute' bird as you put it has an umbrella full of gadgets that serves as a sheathe for a sword which he uses as a last resort."

"I was just joking." Diana teased as she tugged Bruce to the couch. The billionaire sat down with her next to him, her head on his shoulder and her hand still on his pectoral.

"Do they hurt?"

"Sometimes. But you learn to live with it."

While watching the fire crackle, Bruce's arm eventually found its way around Diana's shoulder pulling her in closer. The couple's heartbeats raced as several different scenarios flashed through their minds.

Whether the evening would consist of intimate fireworks or some good old fashioned chivalry, neither one of them was quite sure how to trigger it.

Bruce who hesitated to let anyone close found himself cuddling the Amazon princess who hours ago he gave reasons to why they couldn't be anything more than colleagues. As for Diana, she could only imagine the disapproval of her mother and sisters if they found out she was in love with a mortal man. Both were standing on the precipice of a decision that would impact them for the rest of their lives.

"Remember when we saved Gorilla City from Grodd's attack?" She asked.

"Hard to forget when you keep brining it up."

Diana bit her thumb as she thought about how she was going to get Bruce to be a bit more open.

"Why did you dig through the rubble for me? I mean you must have know it would have taken more than the warhead of the missile to kill me?"

Bruce just stared into the fire.

"I mean, at least you did something, which is more than what I can say for J'ohn, Hawkgirl, and the hundreds of bystanders there." She chuckled. "What made you do something that impulsive? You, the man who always rationalizes every action and decision he makes?"

Bruce's entire body was stiff as a board and his gaze never tore away from the flames.

"Maybe… I panicked." He said quietly.

Diana smiled sweetly as she grabbed his chin gently and made him look at her.

"Why?"

"You're a valued member of the team…"

"Bruce!... Don't even. Just for today, no more bullshit." She pulled him closer so that their foreheads were touching.

So what if he actually admitted it. There was no actual harm in telling her. Part of him wanted her to know anyway.

"… because, going against my better judgement, I have affections for you…"

Diana's heart skipped a beat. She suspected the usual emotionless Bruce had feelings for her. The signs were there since Gorilla City, Kasnia, and several other missions they have been together on. But nothing compared to actually hearing him utter the equivalent of "I like you". The school girl within Diana who was ecstatic about the confession was quickly being overshadowed by her prideful Amazon self. Grabbing him by the bandages on his chest she gave him the most devious smirk as she let him know what was going to happen.

"If you hold back in any way tonight, I will literally break you in half."

"Wha…"

Diana interlocked her lips with his and embraced him like a full sized body pillow. Eventually Bruce's arms wrapped around the Amazon since he also was beginning to enjoy the close contact. Diana tore away and aggressively pushed the man onto the couch on his back. His eyes widened when Diana fully removed the robe he got her. He was stunned by her beauty. Every muscle on her body was toned and her feminine hourglass figure looked fierce in the flickering fire. Her ample assets balance out her warrior ferocity with conventional female attractiveness. She looked good, and she knew it.

She got on top of Bruce and began to tug on the remaining layers he had on only to pause at his hesitation.

"Diana I…"

"Shhh. Don't think. Don't rationalize. For once in your life Bruce, follow your heart."

He became more at ease after making the subconscious decision to do just that. All the scenarios he played out in his head on how things could go wrong, every alarm that was currently going off in his head, it didn't matter, not in this moment. He trembled as the Amazon's hands caressed his chest making their way down to his pants once again. Locking eyes with her she gave a mischievous grin as the last of his clothes were literally torn off much to his annoyance.

"You are unbelievable." He deadpanned.

"My pleasure."

Bruce's skepticism was overtaken by his alter ego who was good at one activity in particular, pleasing women. He smiled savagely as he caught the princess off guard by grabbing the previously mentioned assets with skill while turning the tables on her with him being on top.

"No, the pleasure will be all mine." He began exploring the princess' body with his hands while she returned the favor. The pleasure increased and both were in bliss knowing that at least today they could have each other completely without holding back.

…

The chaotic rumbling that subsided earlier resumed throughout the mansion in a more rhythmic way. The intervals were more consistent but the quakes weren't as strong as before. Nevertheless, Alfred had just about enough of the mansion shaking for one evening. He hesitated to confront Bruce about it earlier because he didn't want to get in the way of his company. But now the Christmas dinner was fully prepared and he was NOT about to risk it being knocked onto the floor due to the couple's irresponsible shenanigans.

As he entered the main living room he was met with a gruesome sight for someone in charge of maintaining the manor. The three couches that were originally all in front of the fireplace were ALL relocated. The love seat was halfway up the flight of stairs while the segmented couch's pieces were scattered all throughout the room. The final couch's legs were snapped off as if some great force came down on it… so to speak. Other small furniture pieces were impacted due to the activities that happened in the room with rugs sprawled on the shelves of the wall and decorations on the floor. While the quakes didn't affect many other rooms in the mansion, it certainly did a number on this particular one.

Needless to say Alfred's mouth just about touched the floor as he gawked horrified.

'I swear to God, Bruce is going to downright rebuild this room or so help me…'

Pennyworth's train of though came to a stop as he approached the couch with the broken legs. He peeked over the backing of it and saw the power couple interlocked in each other's embrace under a warm blanket. Diana's head was comfortable in the crease of Bruce's neck while he held her with his muscular arms. It has been a long time since Alfred had seen him this serene.

"Well, I hope this moment was worth all the destruction." He whispered as he turned and left. Wearing a satisfied smile he was relieved that this was the end result from all the arguing earlier as opposed to a grimmer scenario. 'While I am happy to how things unfolded… if those two hooligans think I slaved away all those hours in the kitchen for them to sleep through dinner, then they've lost their minds.'

Pennyworth activated the com from around the corner and the feedback from it was almost powerful enough to break the windows of the mansion. The sleeping couple shot up like catapults and looked startled as it dissipated.

"Master Bruce and Mistress Diana, dinner is fully prepared. Please make yourselves decent and come to the main dining room… eventually."

Bruce and Diana snapped out of their bafflement and chuckled.

"You need to get your com fixed." She said.

"Alfred did that on purpose. He didn't want us to sleep through the rest of the day."

"I would have been fine with that." Diana grabbed his arm and tugged for him to lay down again.

"You're serious?"

"Oh come on, we can go another few rounds before we feast."

"No doubt YOU can. But in case you've forgotten, I don't have super strength. I'm surprised I didn't break anything during our… activities. In fact, it's a miracle how I didn't die during some of the positions you made me do!"

"You enjoyed every second of it."

"That weird martial art move you did, WHILE WE WERE COUPLED, not only sent my second favorite couch flying across the room with us in it, you managed to bruise me up more than Bane did!"

Diana looked over his body and there was clear discoloration along his midline and upper thighs, clear signs of being straddled like a horse. Except this rider had Amazon strength and the endurance of a machine.

"Sorry, guess I got a little carried away."

Bruce helped the princess to her feet and managed a smirk.

"I suppose there are worse ways to die. But putting that train of thought on hold, it's time we eat. It was the reason I invited you here after all."

"Shower first?" She asked matter a factly.

Bruce could feel the grime and sweat, shuddering at the thought of putting fresh clothing over it. Surely it would have felt more uncomfortable than the wet fabrics he wore earlier. He decided attending dinner would be more comfortable not smelling like sex.

"Absolutely."


	10. Bittersweet

**Warning: Minor lemon ahead. Read at your own discretion.**

* * *

**CH10: Bittersweet**

The billionaire playboy's expectations of getting washed up for dinner were thrown out the window when he realized Diana had completely different plans for their shower. The massive wash room might as well have been a wrestling ring since the two were constantly fighting over who was going to be the dominant one.

Bruce who was used to being in control during his sexual encounters with women tried his best to keep up with Diana. His combat training and martial art skills helped especially since they were both slick with soapy water trickling down their bodies. It made it easier to outmaneuver and position her to his will. Diana however refused to be the "bottom". She used her Amazon strength to overpower Bruce and push him up against the solid marble wall cracking it as she toyed with him using her hand before lifting one of her muscular thighs to his hip finally giving him access to enter.

Bruce's expensive marble shower proceeded to get a makeover as the heat intensified. The water pouring onto them seeped into the fractured floor tile while multiple cracks formed on the thick glass door opposite them as the intervals progressed. Eventually, both reached their limit achieving a level of pure bliss. Diana who was just below Bruce's height placed her head in the crook of his neck as she shivered due to the emotional overload complimenting the bodily fluids dripping out of her. Bruce gasped for breath as he tasted his diluted sweat pour down his head and mix with the blood dripping from his back due to the broken tile shards piercing his skin. He stroked the Amazon's wet hair as they decoupled and finally washed themselves off.

"You know the whole purpose of a shower is to get clean right?" Bruce struggled to say between breaths.

"It's called multitasking. Besides, what better place to get dirty than in a place meant to clean you up?" Diana smirked mischievously.

"Dinner has been ready for over a half hour now…"

"Then by all means, lead the way."

Bruce was the first to step out giving Diana a clear shot of his back mortifying her.

"Hera!" She exclaimed as she saw the blood soak into his bandages and eventually drip down his posterior onto the floor. "Why didn't you say I was hurting you?"

"Because… you were also not." He smirked.

"Dammit Bruce, I'm going to kill you one day." She plucked the tile pieces embedded in his back as he winced mildly.

"I've survived far worse."

"Yea, so I keep hearing." She stroked the bandages that bound the man before her and tugged on them lightly.

"You can just take them off. I never wear them for the recommended time. They usually constrict my movements in costume."

Diana gave him a look that emphasized her displeasure with his life decisions.

"You know, I think you're going to kill yourself well before I get the chance…"

"I can't die yet. I have so much to live for. Rearranged courtyards, destroyed living rooms, shattered showers…"

She shot him an annoyed look as she dried herself off and put on her costume.

"Our activities are costing me a lot of money." Bruce dodged the wet towel Diana threw at him playfully.

"I've never heard you once complain."

"Clearly you didn't pay attention to what I said after our first session…" He trailed as he dawned some casual wear for the evening.

"Well… I've never head you complain DURING."

"…true." Bruce approached her and offered his hand.

"Shall we?"

She gave him a satisfied smirk and gratefully accepted.

…

Christmas dinner was thoroughly enjoyed along with the present company. Alfred was the one having the best time, being able to observe the exchanges between the Amazon princess and the Dark Knight.

He noticed Diana managed to bring out a more… chatty side of Bruce as he would constantly initiate conversation with her about anything really. He talked about running Wayne enterprises and the hour long board meetings he had to attend that made him fall asleep sometimes. Personally that was one of the reasons he assigned Lucius Fox to oversee the company when he wasn't around. He also reminisced about the many adventures he has had as the vigilante of Gotham City eventually working up the timeline to where he met the Justice Leaguers for the first time during the White Martian invasion.

Diana patiently listened to his dialect and soaked up every word of it, surprised that Bruce could ever be this talkative. And yet, as Christmas proceeded to its inevitable end, she knew that things would go back to the way things were. The memories they made over the holiday as well as the emotions that triggered them would always be there. But professionally, they would go from Diana and Bruce to Wonder Woman and Batman, work colleagues with feelings for each other held back by protective walls.

But she also knew that she was capable of drawing out Bruce's emotions. She now knew he liked her, there was no doubt about it. The trick was developing those emotions into something more substantial in the coming years, molding them into true commitment.

…

Diana woke up the next morning in Bruce's master bedroom with only the covers of the bed to keep her decent. She reached across the massive king size mattress hoping to embrace Bruce but was disappointed to find that she was by herself. It wasn't entirely unexpected, the holiday was over and it was back to business. She just didn't want it to happen so soon.

She stood before the mirror and observed the love marks Bruce had left on her ravishing body, payback for the bruises and cuts she left on him previously. As each discoloration vanished under her costume, she pondered whether this whole ordeal was worth it. The feeling was bittersweet. She had never been as happy as she was now nor did she regret seeing a completely different side of Bruce. But the possibility existed that he would pretend nothing happened between them while in the presence of the rest of the team. After all, he didn't give the impression of a 'kiss and tell' type of guy. But how awkward would a mission together be? Would he straight up ignore her, or treat her as nothing but a colleague? These were all natural consequences she could very well experience in the upcoming League operations. But she rationalized that the high notes she experienced during this holiday season were worth every risk.

Diana exited Bruce's bedroom and followed a delightful smell to the kitchen where Pennyworth was.

"Good morning mistress Diana."

"Hey Alfred." She observed him flip a pancake with elegance before she asked the obvious. "Have you seen Bruce?"

"Ah yes. Apparently some buffoons had the audacity to break out of Arkham during the night so master Bruce dawned his cowl to intercept them. I doubt he will be back to the mansion today."

"Oh." She said disappointed. Frankly she was surprised crime took this long to resume in Gotham. She was grateful however, after all it did allow her and Bruce some quality time together.

"He did instruct me to make sure you were adequately fed before resuming your Justice League duties." Alfred added the pancake to the massive stack knowing how hungry an Amazon could get. "Also, he left something for you on the dining table."

Her composure immediately brightened as she casually walked towards the dining room increasing her pace once the humble butler was out of sight. On the place-mat was an envelope addressed to her with a letter inside.

_Diana,_

_Christmas has always been a hard holiday for me._

_You made it warm and sincere._

_Bruce._

_91939_

Diana had mixed feelings about the letter. On one hand, Bruce was actually acknowledging what happened between them which was the direct opposite of what she was expecting. On the other hand, there were not flowers nor was it a kiss goodbye. It was just a simple piece of paper reflecting a fraction of what Bruce was currently feeling for her. Nevertheless, the sincerity was there and Diana was appreciative of it.

"What are these numbers for Alfred?"

The butler cocked an eyebrow and looked surprised.

"Anyone who has knowledge of those digits has tremendous access to master Bruce's life. And subsequently, his trust."

"Well, it's a start." She smiled.


	11. Viaduct

**CH11: Viaduct**

The Dark Knight's mind was flooded with conflicting thoughts as he used his grapple to descend into the alleyway. His cape shrouded him completely as he calmly stuck to the shadows looking for evidence of the escaped criminals from Arkham.

The multitasking in his mind was tediously overworking itself as he did his detective work and debated whether leaving Diana the five digit code was the wisest decision. Practically speaking he wanted to keep some distance between them to let the feelings simmer down a bit. But the emotional side of him which resurfaced during the whole ordeal craved for her to visit occasionally.

The Dark Knight traced with his fingers several claw marks that were along the brick wall and pavement near some abandoned cars. He saw them make their way from his position to the darkest part of the alley where even his keen sight had trouble adjusting to. From the blackness came a deep growl and the ground began to shake as the perpetrator charged with the force of a locomotive.

Batman's eyes widened as a massive reptile humanoid quickly cut the distance between them and made a swipe for his torso. Only a wedge of his cape was lost as he nimbly jumped onto the lizard's shoulders getting him in a headlock. He used all his body weight to flip him onto the ground shattering the pavement.

As he backed away to get his bearings he heard a faint hum from above that proceeded to get louder as it closed in. The alley lit up brightly as flames poured out from the sky and incinerated the ground Batman was previously atop. His costume was designed to be fire resistant but it couldn't take such heat head on. Thus a portion of his cape was caught in the blast leaving it singed and smelling of soot.

Batman watched the villain descend until he was next to Killer Croc who had just gotten back up. He wore a silver fireproof suit equipped with wings which allowed him to levitate at will. Strapped to his thigh was a holster for the flamethrower he carried which complimented the blood red eyes his mask had.

'Firefly.' Batman thought. "Where are the rest of the inmates?"

"Who cares. They ran like scared rabbits the moment we got out."

"They were the smart ones."

"Hey, it's not so bad for me and Croc. After all, having fried bat the day after Christmas is a good enough present for me."

Batman ducked behind the abandoned cars as Firefly unleashed another blast. The wind from the impact was hot against his skin and he knew staying behind the makeshift barrier would eventually be detrimental.

The blaze subsided but the relief was short-lived as Killer Croc lifted up one of the vehicles Batman was using for cover. He darted between the lizard's legs and threw a mini-mine at the gas tank on the underbody of the car.

(BOOM)

The explosion sent Croc tumbling down the alley as Batman dodged the large shrapnel pieces that were dispersing everywhere. He pulled out his grapple gun and shot it at Firefly who was in midflight hoping to avoid the chaos below. The steel cable wrapped around his legs but the Dark Knight's weight wasn't enough to bring down the insect.

"You serious? You know I could take you up to the upper stratosphere if I wanted to. In fact…"

Firefly ascended to the skies with Batman in tow but didn't make it far as the taser function in his grapple activated. The electricity coursing through his body made him flash in intervals like… a firefly. His flight controls were shot and he plummeted back to earth crashing into the remaining car in the alley thus breaking his fall.

Batman calmly glided back down to ground level and prepared himself to deal with a severely pissed off Killer Croc. The lizard smelled of gasoline and oil but only sustained minor injuries from the shrapnel due to his tough scales. Batman equipped the same electric brass knuckles he had used during the White Martian invasion and waited for Croc to make the first move.

The lizard tried to flat out bite Batman's head off but was much too slow for such a tactic. He instead got socked in the jaw and growled in discomfort as electricity discharged throughout his body. Batman followed up with several punches to his chest each crackling like fireworks before backflipping, inherently kicking the assailant in the throat.

Croc tried to regain his footing but his posture was sluggish and the electrical discharges were taking their toll. He tried to grab Batman in a hug-like lunge but was only greeted with empty space as he was socked on the ribs from the side.

Several more blows to his mid-section and torso were unleashed before Batman finished him off with an uppercut. Killer Croc flew backwards and landed on the ground sprawled out like a lizard skin rug.

'Two down…' Batman flashed back to his teamwork with Diana against Bane and wondered how much faster he could round up his adversaries with help. 'Who knows how many more to go.'

Lost in thought Batman didn't notice Firefly pull the trigger one last time on his flamethrower with him in the crosshairs. From the imploded car off to the side an inferno was about to consume the Dark Knight as he wrapped himself in his cape best he could before the inevitable roasting. Surprisingly the heat alleviated itself and was replaced with a cool breeze. Batman peeked and saw the Man of Steel himself using his super breath to blow out the flames and consequently encase Firefly in ice. Both villains were now down for the count.

Batman couldn't believe how sloppy he was. It was a stupid oversight that could have put him in recovery for months.

"Idiot!" The Dark Knight yelled.

"Excuse me?" Superman crossed his arms and gave his best friend a peeved look.

"No not you." He pulled out a communicator and alerted the police to their whereabouts. "I was handling things just fine."

"You're welcome." He smirked.

…

Back at the watchtower Batman practically stormed over to the main monitor and began looking up the precise number of Arkham inmates that broke out, doing his best to ignore a concerned Superman.

"You all right Bruce? It's not like you to be that sloppy."

Yea, sloppy. The mere thought of such a thing infuriated him beyond reproach. Bruce knew this was going to happen. His mind was elsewhere during battle and it nearly cost him. Diana really was affecting his ability to focus. The blame wasn't completely hers though. Having sealed off his emotions for so long he wasn't sure how to handle the overall affections. But it was indisputable that the emotions she ignited were clearly bleeding their way into other compartmentalized parts of his life.

Superman took the cold shoulder as a hint to drop the subject and instead brought up another one.

"So, how was monitor duty the last two days?"

"Uneventful." He obviously lied. His best friend saw right through it.

"Do uneventful holidays often result in bruising and fractured bones?"

"Goddammit Clark, that X-ray vision of yours will get you in trouble one day." Batman furiously typed.

"Oh it already has." He laughed sheepishly remembering a certain date with Lois not too long ago. "It's strange though, the bruises' source of trauma are not all consistent. The one in your mid section for instance…"

Batman's eyes widened in embarrassment remembering Diana riding him like a horse back at his place.

"Did Solomon Grundy accidentally sit on you or something?"

Batman grit his teeth as he felt his face turn into the color of Superman's cape.

"All right you know what? I need to focus and I can't do that with you asking me stupid questions every five seconds! Quit being so nosy!"

Batman's weird behavior worried the Man of Steel. He figured something out of the ordinary happened over the holidays.

He learned against the desk and crossed his arms in non-threatening manner. "You know you can tell me anything right Bruce?"

The dam that usually kept his emotions at bay was overflowing into the other aqueducts that were usually bone dry. A caring conscience was starting to contribute to his mindset, factoring in Diana's feelings when it came to his usual life of solidarity. What if he did let her in permanently? The subjective experiences he has had subconsciously made him make these guidelines which if followed would minimize danger to him and those close to him. Right? At the cost of ending up alone, was it worth it?

"How do you and Lois make it work?" Bruce asked sincerely.

"You mean besides the fact that we like each other?"

"The clear and present danger that comes with wearing that cape. Aren't you worried that's going to get her hurt one day?"

Clark thought about it. "There's always an inherent risk with heroes seeing other heroes or even normal folk. It's part of the job."

"Exactly. What if the job one day gets Lois…"

Clark managed to see the concern on Bruce's face even with his cowl on. But it wasn't concern for his relationship. Slowly he began putting the pieces together.

"You're seeing someone aren't you?"

"That is not the subject we are on."

"Something happened over the holidays with someone special and you're afraid to commit aren't you?"

Clark managed to earn a signature bat-glare, pure indication that he was right on the money.

"You dated Lois for a bit when we fist met, remember? Didn't you stop to think what danger you would introduce to her life? Or was your rationale clouded with hormones back then?"

"I was more ignorant before. Things happen and people change as a result…"

Clark wondered if Bruce's changed view on having a relationship on the side of crime fighting was a result of losing several of his close partners. "Barbara? Tim?"

Bruce just stared into space.

"It's true, people change. But unfortunately the inherent danger doesn't. There's always risk. The trick is doing your best to prepare for it."

Cocking an eyebrow the billionaire made his point. "How many times has Lois been kidnapped?"

Superman rubbed the back of his neck humiliated. "To be fair, she is a reporter. It's kind of her job to go look for danger." He cleared his throat. "But how many times have I brought her back safely? You can prepare for the danger, but you also have to be willing to face it should it come to pass."

Batman uneasily kept glancing to his right and Superman followed his line of sight spotting the present Diana brought on Christmas Eve. It was still sitting on the table standing out like a sore thumb with its atrocious yellow wrapping.

"What's that?"

"Nothing."

In a flash Clark was holding the gift and reading the tag on it.

_To: Bruce_

_ From: Diana_

Bruce glared daggers as Clark cockily turned to face him again with the smuggest look on his face. It was as if a child was able to reach the cookie jar on top of the fridge, ate all the cookies, and didn't get caught earning him bragging rights.

"So, you and Diana huh?

"Goddammit…"


	12. The Gift

**CH12: The Gift**

Bruce tried to focus on his research but couldn't shake Clark's gaze which was tunneling a hole in the back of his head.

"What?"

"You going to tell me about it?"

"There's nothing to tell." He tried to continue working but kept making silly spelling errors due to his overwhelming irritation.

"Well, I can always ask Alfred."

The color drained from Bruce's face. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Alfred saw Diana and him together as well as the current state of his living room. It looked as if a hurricane went through it matching the same level of destruction as the earthquake that shattered his marble bathroom. He knew how blunt the butler could be and he would be damned if any other version of how it happened slipped out to the team besides his.

"I knew I shouldn't have left that gift lying around…" He mumbled as he tensed up.

Clark just waited patiently, as if he had all the time in the world.

"There was some gang activity happening in Gotham. Diana merely accompanied me to help stop it."

"And afterward, the magic happened."

"It wasn't quite that simple." At this point the monitor just displayed random letters forming interesting gibberish. Irked the billionaire began hitting the backspace button monotonously.

The boy in blue still had his arms crossed with a smile on his face. He had never seen Bruce in such an awkward state over a woman.

"I actually was really harsh on her and hoped it would drive her away. But it didn't."

"She's a strong woman. And a stubborn one at that."

"You have absolutely no idea." Bruce remembered how she risked everything to bring the bouquet of roses to his parent's mausoleum. That simple act of kindness was what started to chip away at his ice encased heart. "I had a moment of… vulnerability. I pushed aside logic and gave into my affections. Something ignited inside me and I just haven't felt the same since."

"That's great!"

"No it's not! I can't focus on basic work, my mind is elsewhere during battle, and I can't get her out of my head."

"You're in love."

"Ridiculous. I haven't been in love since…." He ran down the list of women he actually had feelings for in the past. He remembered Andrea Beaumont who ended up being the masked Phantasm, Talia al Ghul who was quite pleasant to be around when her father wasn't trying to murder him or make him his successor, Lois Lane who was now seeing The Man of Steel, and Selina Kyle the burglar.

"Honestly you've dated so many women it's hard to keep track Bruce."

"Loved and dated are two different things. Not that you would know, considering you only discovered women when you moved to Metropolis."

"Hey I wasn't that clueless… I had Lana."

"Whatever. Point is having Diana in my life has proven to be dangerous thus far."

"More dangerous than fighting supervillains in spandex at night?"

"That's not what I… first of all, this is Kevlar body armor… Secondly,…"

Now Clark was getting annoyed. "Yea, you know Bruce, I think I've heard enough. You're not going to find anything positive unless you stop looking for reasons for why it couldn't work." He walked towards Bruce gift in hand. "So why not focus on how it could?"

"Keep that away from me."

The Man of Steel was puzzled as to why Bruce was treating the humble yellow box like it was his version of kryptonite. The closer he got the more uneasy he became. "Why are you so afraid of a gift Bruce?"

The billionaire remembered the sincere smile that came with that present, and subsequently the goddess it was attached to. Her raven hair contrasted her white skin tone which radiated beauty beyond comprehension. He couldn't stop thinking about her. "I'm not afraid of the gift Clark… I'm afraid of getting attached to the one who got it for me. This line of work doesn't allow for personal relationships."

"Speak for yourself." He quirked remembering Lois again. "You're always quick to use circumstances as an excuse as to why you can't be happy, almost like you don't want to be. To put it bluntly Bruce, this job has nothing to do with YOUR decision to avoid relationships. You choose to go that route, so what's really stopping you?"

Bruce remembered the Justice League's fight with the Justice Lords. Lady Wonder Woman had bested Diana in combat for the moment. In his effort to save her he was grabbed by the neck and flung to the ground like an insect. He would have been crushed had it not been for Diana making a comeback. If he couldn't keep up with her caliber of villains, what good would he be to save her should the need ever arise again? She was the second strongest member on the team, so if anyone was able to subdue her what could he do? Throw a batarang at them?

The real question was, how would HE fair against her rogues gallery should they ever decide to squash him to get to her? Compared to anyone else on the team he was easy pickings in terms of raw power. Giganta could flatten him without trying and Cheetah could tear him to ribbons. Ares the god of war himself is one of her main adversaries and he couldn't imagine taking him on.

"Clark, I don't have any powers…" His voice that was usually so authoritative was humble and uncertain. "So I have to be careful with who I let in, and who I keep out. If my enemies ever found out I had someone special, they wouldn't rest until they got to me or my family through her. Not to mention the atrocities they would most likely do to her in the process…"

His best friend understood where he was coming from. Both Tim Drake and Barbara Gordon were perfect examples of how bonds can be exploited to inflict agony.

"If I allow myself to be happy with someone, there is a good chance one of us will undergo unimaginable pain, or worse."

Clark sighed deeply. He knew firsthand what it was like to be stripped of his powers and feeling helplessly human. His Kryptonian abilities were a driving factor in many of his successful battles when it came to saving the world or rescuing someone he cared about. But when it came to his best friend he knew that it was up to Bruce to instigate his own happiness.

"Look Bruce, I'm not your relationship therapist. What happened between you and Diana, it's none of my business. But maybe, it's quite possible you found happiness for a brief moment and are afraid to commit, frankly, because you aren't used to it. It's not just about the danger. But Diana has shown clear signs of interest for a while now which you have blatantly ignored… until recently. It's not good for either of you having a fling here and there. You're not just hurting yourself, you're hurting her as well."

Bruce remembered one of the special moments of serenity between Diana and him. They were on the couch in front of the fireplace just holding each other, talking about anything she could get him to be open about. And quite honestly, it felt liberating being able to talk about his feelings, not just towards her, but his parents as well.

"There is no right approach to your situation." Clark continued. "You may not like what I have to say, but you need to hear it. If you're not going to commit, don't lead her on. It could be more destructive than if you two actually got together. So, at least for her sake, open the gift. Then give her closure."

He placed the gift carefully off to the side of the workstation.

"I'll open it when I'm ready." Bruce got back on task.

"I don't think you'll ever be ready. Sometimes, you just have to force yourself. And who knows… you might be surprised by what they have to offer."

The Man of Steel exited the monitor room leaving the bat with the gift. He continued to work trying to keep his mind occupied but it kept distracting him. The bright color always managed to catch his eye and the size of it ignited his curiosity as to what was in it.

'Fine.' He meandered to where the gift was placed and picked it up. It was surprisingly light. He shook it gently trying to get a feel for what was inside but it didn't make much noise hitting the sides of the box.

'Idiot… Just open the present.' He removed the aesthetically pleasing bow and peeled off the wrapping paper gently revealing a plain carboard box. He ripped the sealing tape off and popped open the flaps.

He stared through the cavity and looked at what was inside. His heart stopped as he pulled out a plain teddy bear with a top hat. Most adults would regard the present as childish, but to Bruce it meant so much more.

He remembered when his family would attend the Gotham Fair and he would ask to play the fun carnival games at the stands which of course were rigged. One game in particular he would spend hours at trying to knock the stacked bottles over with a ball, but there would always be at least one left standing. No matter how much money his father Thomas threw at the host he couldn't win the top tier prize which was the bear. They would leave with other minor trinkets such as key chains, Hot Wheels, and those fun inflatable hammers you could bop people on the head with, but not the prize Bruce wanted most.

"_We'll try again next year Bruce._"

Little did the Waynes know what tragedy would befall on them in the coming months. There would be no 'next time'. The murder of Bruce's parents came to pass and he could have cared less about that trivial bear, until now.

Sure, neither he nor his parents managed to win it, but holding the memoir in his hands reminded him of all the other fun things they did together at the fair. The rides were thrilling, the food was deliciously overpriced, and above all it was one of the last fond memories he had of them before they were taken from him.

'How in the world did she know…'

He slowly removed his cowl and nullified the tears that were about to trickle down, setting aside his Batman persona to appreciate the gift as the boy who was never given the chance to be an adolescent. He inhaled deeply and shakily opened the card that came with the fuzzball.

_Dear Bruce,_

_In a world where there are gods among us, Where heroes have powers beyond understanding,_

_Time and again, You stood out from the rest._

_Merry Christmas._

_Love,_

_Diana._

The Amazon's neat handwriting highlighted her affections towards the caped crusader and the reason behind it. There was nothing mushy that would make even a love fanatic roll their eyes nor was there an outpour of reasons why they should be together. She merely spoke her mind, delivered one hell of a gift, and left it at that.

'She truly is a remarkable woman.' Bruce's serious composure crumbled as he felt a smile form across his face. He placed the bear on the desk and pulled up the coms on the monitor highlighting the one with Diana's thumbnail on it. After a bit of hesitation he finally made the call.

"Hey, it's me…"


	13. Change of Heart

**CH13: Change of Heart**

Wonder Woman's day of patrol was boring for the most part except for her small talk with Hawkgirl which turned out to be quite juicy. As the ladies were soaring through the city, each of their intuitions was picking up something off the other, an aura that radiated a feeling of contentment.

"So how was your holiday break?" The princess asked noticing the anxiousness of her partner.

"It was great!" The Thanagarian practically blurted out. "I mean this time of the year really has no meaning for me, but John showed me some earthly traditions that were actually quite fun."

"Such as?"

"We made snow angels and had a heck of a snow war. Afterwards I took him to the third moon of Galtos to celebrate a bit." Hawkgirl remembered the adrenaline rush during the bar brawl she instigated. "It was awesome. But enough about me, how was your time off?"

Wonder Woman remembered helping Batman take down Bane's smuggling operation followed by an emotional rollercoaster of a day consisting of lectures, untapped emotions, and steamy activities.

"It was complicated, but overall really good."

"Did you do anything special?"

The Amazon princess manifested a tiny bit of pink on her cheeks as she remembered cuddling with Bruce next to the fireplace. "Well… Batman and I kinda spent the holiday together and…"

As Hawkgirl's eyes widened in surprise they were both interrupted by their comms.

"The internal alarm for the First National Bank was set off several minutes ago. Police are on the scene but it appears the offender is a meta human. Use caution."

"Understood J'ohn." Shiera grabbed her mace anxious for a fight. "Guess the gossip will have to wait. But you're not off the hook, I expect a full story when we are finished."

Diana gave her a smirk. "Don't hold your breath."

The two heroines touched down on the street in front of the bank and were startled when the revolving door was blown off by a powerful force and landed in the street nearly hitting one of the perimeter cops. Through the metal dust and smoke they saw a feminine silhouette. She was larger than the average lady giving Wonder Woman's Amazon build competition when it came to physique and size. Her pink skirt waved in the breeze as she carried two large bags of cash in each hand. The good attitude she once had faltered when she realized her robbery was a bust.

"Aww crap…"

"Giganta, drop the cash." Hawkgirl demanded as her mace sparked electricity.

The giantess instead hurled both her payloads straight at the adversaries. Diana caught the first one easily but the force knocked the wind out of her and sent her back several meters as her heels scraped the concrete. The second bag was utterly disintegrated as Shiera smashed it with her weapon. Thousands of green bills were now in the air like confetti making any pedestrian in the area very happy as they eventually settled on the ground.

Giganta rushed in during the confusion and socked the Thanagarian in the face. Feathers flew as did she, skidding across the street into the parking lot next door.

The villainess's smirk of cockiness was replaced with a look of pain as the bag of cash that Wonder Woman caught was now getting well acquainted with her face. The collision made her hit and roll onto the ground before regaining her footing, just in time to receive a punch to the gut from the Amazon. Giganta was knocked into the air a good ten meters before she landed onto a police car which she crushed on impact.

She picked herself up and held her abdomen in pain. "That hurt!"

"Good" Diana responded crossing her arms as Shiera recovered.

The pavement beneath Giganta crumbled as she began to grow making the buildings surrounding her look like a scale model movie set. She was now about twenty-five stories tall and had the mass to cause some real damage. She grabbed two vehicles from the street and chucked them like baseballs.

Hawkgirl dodged the first one which ended up exploding several other cars in the parking lot while the second flattened a nearby ATM. She took her mace and smacked the back of Giganta's right knee.

The Giantess was now kneeling and severely irritated as she reached quickly snatching the winged heroine out of the air and squeezing her like a stress ball. Wonder Woman was quick to act as she flew straight for the massive woman's chin and socked her into a building making her lose her hold.

Hawkgirl glided to a safe enough distance as she gasped for air and held her ribcage in pain. Diana rushed to her aide.

"How bad is it?"

"I'll live… just get her…"

Diana levitated as Giganta was now back on two feet rubbing the bruise on her chin. She engaged the Amazon attempting to smack her like an annoying mosquito. Diana was having no problems dodging the slow attacks until her comm once again pinged for an answer.

"We're engaging the enemy J'ohn." She assumed she was going to be asked for a status update by the Martian when instead it was someone she wasn't expecting.

"Hey, it's me."

"Bruce?" Her heart skipped a beat, surprised he had contacted as soon as he did. Her mind rushed through many scenarios which were all stressing her out. Did he open the present? Did he like it? Or was it way too personal for a first gift? For all she knew he could be calling to address their time together meaning the call could either be good or bad news. What was certain however was that Bruce's voice had her undivided attention leaving her open.

Giganta seized the opportunity and ran towards the distracted Amazon. The buildings rumbled as she closed in and swatted her like a fly. With the force of a locomotive she was sent across the city leveling several buildings along the way. Diana crashed through multiple skyscrapers and a donut shop before ending up in a Lexcorp warehouse full of old exosuits and scrap metal. She emerged from the rubble with multiple scrapes and a dislodged tiara housing her messy hair.

"This a bad time?" Bruce asked awkwardly, cocking an eyebrow at half the sounds he heard over the intercom consisting of shattering glass and crumbling buildings.

"Yep." She wiped the small amount of blood trickling down her mouth and spit on the ground before adjusting her headpiece and taking off towards the giantess with a fury. "Give me a second."

The Amazon gained higher altitude as she reached a vantage point from which she could divebomb from. She let gravity do the work as she propelled downwards aiming straight for Giganta's face. The collision resulted in a shockwave powerful enough to shake the city and a crater the size of an Olympic swimming pool with a knocked out Giganta at the center of it. Unconscious she shrank down to normal size making it easier for police to take her into custody.

After making sure Hawkgirl was being looked after by the paramedics Diana could now focus all her attention on Bruce who has been on hold for the last couple of minutes.

"Hey, sorry to keep you waiting."

"No it's understandable. You sounded like you had your hands full."

The comm channel was silent for a couple seconds with both parties not quite knowing what to expect. Bruce in the watchtower was tapping his fingers nervously while Diana's heart raced. Being on the receiving end of a serious call like this is never fun for anyone.

"I was wondering if you wanted to get together and… talk." He finally spoke.

"Talk about what?"

"Well…" Bruce eyed the fuzzy bear with the top hat on his desk. "Several things actually."

"Bruce, you're kind of freaking me out here. Everything alright?"

"Yes… I mean… it's kind of…"

"Complicated?"

"Yea."

Diana crossed her arms as she perched on a nearby building overseeing the clean up of her fight with Giganta. "Any chance we can uncomplicate things?" She asked biting her thumb expecting a typically logical but cold response.

"I hope we can."

Diana was stunned.

"But I think the first step would be to just talk about things."

"Yes I agree. So your place then?"

"Actually, I was thinking we could go out to a more formal setting…"

"So in other words… a date?" The princess' smug tone of voice alerted Bruce that she was smiling on the other end.

He rubbed the back of his neck and cracked a small smile himself. "I suppose."

"Aren't you a busy man though?" She teased.

"I'm always busy… but I can make time for this. I figured you could drop by my place and we'd leave together with Alfred driving us to our destination."

"Sounds romantic. I'll be sure to dress up."

"So… when's a good day for you?"

"I'm free the rest of the day. Unless the typical end of the world scenario pops up of course."

"Well yea, in that case my evening would also be ruined." Bruce started making reservations at a local night club which had high end food, live entertainment, and a dance floor. "So see you around 8:00pm?"

"I'll be there."

Bruce ended the call with a satisfied grin and began to head to the teleporter pad to beam down to his mansion. He passed the open area where the non deployed leaguers were all socializing. Superman gave his best friend a big smile, undoubtedly his super hearing was able to pick up on most of the conversation he and Diana had. The rest of the team stopped their conversation mid-sentence and were dumbfounded when they saw the Dark Knight carrying the fuzzball with the top hat. He gave them a serious look as he continued to the teleporter pad and disappeared in a flash of light leaving mostly everyone confused.

"Was I hallucinating, or was that Batman carrying a stuffed bear?" Flash asked puzzled.

"It sure was." Superman responded noticing a change in Bruce. He was eager to see what would happen in the coming future between him and the Amazon.


	14. The Date Part 1

**CH14: The Date Part 1**

It had been awhile since Batman had stepped out as Bruce Wayne for anything other than business much less a date. Ever since he helped found the Justice League, his time was divided between aiding the team and his own responsibilities in Gotham. If he ever did go out as Mr. Wayne during these busy times, it was to help his crime fighting agenda. When he visited his business partner Lex Luthor years ago in Metropolis, it was only to find the Joker who had taken up a new interest in Superman. When he was at the banquet in Kasnia, it was originally to do some snooping on the military officials attending in regards to their experimental military circuit boards that were found in the newly developed plasma rifles being sold on the black market.

Bottom line was that this would be the first outing where he was one hundred percent Bruce Wayne. There would be no crime fighting objectives hidden beneath his fancy suit and ridiculous front page headline as to why he was suddenly across the country partying. The entire evening would be an attempt to be normal for once, and he wasn't quite sure how to do that anymore.

"Nervous sir?" Alfred had since entered the master bedroom.

"No… why would I be nervous? It's just a little get together..."

"A date."

"Yea… that."

Alfred looked over Bruce's choice of evening attire. He was wearing a black suit that matched his dress shirt underneath with a silver tie being the only thing of "color" in his outfit.

"What do you think?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Master Bruce, you are going on a date, not a funeral. Take that ghoulish thing off." Pennyworth walked into the massive walk-in closet and came back out with Bruce's Tuxedo. It was also black with the lapels lined with satin complimented by its white bone buttons at the cuffs. The waistcoat and bowtie were dark as the night contrasting the dress shirt which was white as snow. A killer outfit for the best of occasions. "I think this is more fitting for the evening you have planned."

Bruce's eye twitched as he gave his butler a weirded out look similar to when someone's best friend tries to set you up with a less than attractive relative thinking they are doing you a favor.

"I'm not getting married Alfred!"

"Well not tonight…"

"I'm serious."

"So am I. This is the first formal date you are having with miss Diana and I refuse to let you take her out dressed as a warlock. First impressions matter after all. Now change out of that gloomy outfit immediately."

The annoyed billionaire began taking off his suit as he rolled his eyes. 'I thought it looked alright.' He thought as he attempted to rebuild his confidence which was torn down by the butler. Finally dressed Bruce descended the stairs into the lobby.

"Well you certainly took your time, it's nearly 8:00pm." Alfred was now in his chauffer uniform checking his bronze pocket watch. "For heaven's sake show some enthusiasm sir."

Bruce made an irked face and crossed his arms. "She's not going to be here on the dot Alfred."

"I beg to differ. This is her first official outing with you so I'm willing to bet she is going to be very punctual tonight, unlike some people that I know."

Bruce was about to say something snarky when the mansion's doorbell went off exactly at 8:00pm. He turned to see Alfred grinning smugly.

"Told you so."

"I hate you…" Bruce gave his butler the stink eye as he attempted to get past him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I was going to get the door to greet her, as per common courtesy."

"Where is her present?"

"Her what…"

Alfred massaged his temples baffled by Bruce's naivete. "The token of chivalry a man traditionally presents to his woman to show appreciation you miscreant."

"I wasn't aware that I had to get her anything." Bruce started to sweat embarrassed.

"You didn't HAVE to. But this is the first serious date you have had since you joined the League, with someone your quite fond of, and it doesn't occur to you to get her a small gift of some sort?"

Bruce's face morphed into one of panic as he pulled out his smartphone and began searching for nearby jewelry stores to have something delivered to his place in the next minute. Alfred merely sighed and turned him in the direction of the dining room and gave him a shove.

"Luckily for you, I'm no short of a miracle worker. You will find your saving grace on the dining table. I'll let Diana in and bring the limo around."

Bruce rushed to the table and found what appeared to be simple box of chocolates with a pink rose tied to it. He swiped it quickly and rushed back to the entrance hall. 'I need to give Alfred a massive raise.'

Truth be told, everything the humble butler did for Bruce was out of love. After growing up with him they were practically family. The money was just a bonus that came with the butler position.

Re-entering the lobby Bruce stopped in his tracks when he saw the goddess Alfred let in.

She wore a strapless scarlet red dress which had a black seam outlining the top part of her bosom. Her bracelets glimmered in the lighting and complimented her blood red high heels. It was a simple yet stunning outfit and Bruce was feeling the effects of it.

"Too much?" She asked with a hint of red on her cheeks noticing that he was captivated.

Bruce continued staring in a daze, petrified by her raw beauty. "You look great." He extended his arm like a lanky animatronic at a children's entertainment center, the motion awkward and mechanical earning a giggle from the princess. "This is for you…"

Diana took the gift and examined the rose separately, smelling it, a smile of affection forming as she took in its aroma. She got closer so that their noses were inches apart. "It's gorgeous, and these candies are my favorite."

"Is that what they are?"

"Didn't you buy them?"

The embarrassing sweat Bruce had earlier returned. "In a sense. Just a small… gift."

The Amazon smirked deciphering his wording. "Smooth." She put her arms around Bruce's neck and was about to go in for the kill when the couple was interrupted by a loud honk from outside.

Bruce cleared his throat. "That would be Alfred."

"We'll pick this up later." Diana gave him a quick peck and coddled his arm. "Where are we going?"

"Oh this place I know. I think you'll like it."

…

Alfred pulled the limo up to the Iceberg Lounge's entrance and opened the door for Bruce and Diana.

"Have a pleasant evening you two." The humble butler smiled as he watched the couple pass through the glass doors disappearing from outside eyes.

The nightclub's structure was round similar to a colosseum with dining tables spread out evenly surrounding the main area and had several high end balconies which oversaw the band, dance floor, and the iceberg pool with real seals in it. The song "Betcha Never" was being sung by Cyndi Almouzni herself as it echoed throughout nightclub which its guests danced to in the smooth lighting provided by the hanging glass chandeliers.

Diana admired the architecture as she walked shoulder to shoulder with Bruce who headed for the greeting booth. The hostess recognized the billionaire immediately but was more surprised to see the Amazon princess as his date.

"Hi, I have reservations here."

"Of course Mr. Wayne." She grabbed a pair of menus and motioned for them to follow her. "Right this way."

They ventured through the edge of the general dining area where people were interrupting their dinner to whisper, staring at the couple in curiosity. Several dances on the floor stopped as the men and women looked with envy igniting the gossip.

"_Is that Bruce Wayne?"_

"_It's so strange seeing him. He hasn't made a public appearance in weeks."_

"_Who is he with?"_

"_That's Wonder Woman!"_

"_The Amazon Princess from the Justice League? No way."_

The billionaire payed no mind to the whispers and maintained face up several flight of stairs until they reached their reserved balcony. It had a delicate glass table for two, a miniature lounge area with a couch for mingling purposes, and a small clearing for private dancing.

The hostess laid the menus on the table but Bruce didn't even have the chance to think about sitting down as Diana grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to the reserved dance floor, as if she had been looking forward to this for quite some time. He was surprised at first but he eventually held her in a traditional dance position. His right hand was on her hip to guide her while the left was intertwined with hers occasionally spinning her out and reeling her back in like a yo-yo.

When they did lock eyes it was as if time stopped around them, like they were in their own little bubble that they could enjoy without consequences. Bruce appreciated her beauty which was amplified by the irresistible red dress she wore. The aura she emitted was similar to the brilliance of a queen, demanding respect but gentle enough to give her beloved the time of day.

Diana also admired Bruce's chiseled features. The tuxedo her wore emphasized his chest and arms due to it being a slim but comfortable fit. His hands grabbed her with such authority, guiding her with every step they took on the crystal floor. She was mostly impressed with how strong his grip was for someone who wasn't on her level of strength. Their entire relationship was something close to a fairy tail: the goddess who fell in love with a mortal man.

The song finished with Diana being leaned against his shoulders wrapped in Bruce's arms in a grand finishing move. The couple gazed at each other neither wanting to move but eventually made their way to the table. He pulled out her chair letting her get situated first before he joined her.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Diana hated to kill the mood. She figured the serious matters would come out at some point during the night, but she wanted to get it over with now, with the hope that they would end on a high note when it was all over.

Bruce held his chin pondering how to put is thoughts into words. He rehearsed it many times in his head back at the mansion but now that he was face to face with her his mind drew a blank. But he at least knew where he wanted to start.

"I wanted to discuss… us."


	15. The Date Part 2

**CH15: The Date Part 2**

"_I wanted to discuss… us."_

Diana knew from the start that tonight wasn't going to be all fun and games so part of her wished that she could rewind to their first night together on Christmas. All the serious implications about them being together faded while they held each other in front of the fire, as if an anvil had been lifted off their chests allowing them to breathe in the moment.

After waking up in Bruce's bed alone, she had mixed feelings about what had happened. But after reading his handwritten letter, all she wanted to do since then was _discuss us_. Now that she had the opportunity and was face to face with him, she wasn't sure if this was going to be a conversation she wanted to have. His overall serious composure definitely put her on guard, expecting the worst but strong enough to endure it this time.

She slapped herself mentally trying to rid herself of the negative thoughts. After all, she was literally on a date with him at this moment and that had to mean something right? Perhaps it was out of pity? No, that wasn't like Bruce at all. Why would he entertain the idea of being together if he wasn't serious about it?

Bruce eyed her honestly, unsure of where to even start. He eventually reached into his coat pocket and took out an old family photo taken at the Gotham Fair. Thomas Wayne had his arm around Martha who lovingly had both her hands on young Bruce's shoulders. The Ferris wheel was in the background along with several game stands and you could see the prizes they had to offer. The inflatable hammers, the small trinkets, and the unique top tier prizes, they were all there. After he admired the memory he handed it to Diana who looked at it intently.

"It's a beautiful photo Bruce."

He pointed to the corner where the only stand that offered the stuffed bear as a prize was. "The gift you got me…"

'Oh right.' She honestly thought he was going to avoid opening it until next year, if ever. But even before she wrapped it her anxiety was pretty high. She pondered whether it was way too personal of a gift and hoped he wouldn't be mad. But she knew that the message conveyed through it would be unmistakably blunt. "I care about you Bruce. I just wanted to show you that."

A small smirk formed on his face as he took the photo back. "My parents would drop so much money on the carnival games just to see me smile. One of the prizes I wanted to win was that bear… but I was never able to. So when I opened your present and physically held it, for a moment it was if I was back there, just enjoying being a kid with my parents."

She literally had no idea what to say. At least he wasn't mad. In fact, he seemed to actually be quite pleased with the gift she had gotten him. Her guarded demeanor dropped and she was no longer as tense as when the conversation started.

"It certainly was an unexpected present to say the least… very thoughtful. But the level of research you did to know about it can almost be labeled as… creepy." He said jokingly. "So I have to ask… how in the world did you find out?"

Diana never considered the creep factor when she was picking out the present. Thankfully her relationship with him was enough to not make it super weird. Had it been a typical stalker, a gift that detailed would have prompted Bruce to have the crazy woman responsible investigated by the police.

"I had help…"

"…"

"I kind of… asked Superman for his advise on what to get you."

"There's no way he would know about this."

"He referred me to Alfred and gave me his number."

"…" Bruce's face morphed into one of deep thought as he finally understood how the Amazon pulled it off.

"We never actually met in person until that night after we took down Bane. But he was super helpful over the phone, gave me plenty of ideas. I attended the Gotham Fair in the Fall the first day it opened and managed to acquire the bear. Wasn't as hard as he told me it was going to be."

"You actually managed to win the rigged game?"

"The game was rigged?"

Bruce just stared at her.

"You just had to knock over all the bottles to win the top tier prize right?"

"Right…"

"Got it on my first shot." She crossed her arms prideful in her accomplishment. "I went all out knowing what was at stake."

Bruce's eyes widened. "Did you kill anyone?"

"No!" She remarked offended. Her scrunched up her face gave the indication that she was holding something back. "I might have accidentally destroyed the game stand though…" She whispered. "After I won, fair and square mind you, the attendant had the nerve to yell at me. I asked whether he was going to give me the prize I earned or if I had to take it from him by force. He couldn't hand over the bear fast enough."

Bruce tried to picture the baseball pitch of death that disintegrated the carnival game as well as the attendant flipping out on the Amazon who could easily rip him in half. He could only imagine the mortified face the employee had as Diana threatened him. The scenario was textbook cartoonish and he couldn't keep his composure. He covered his mouth with one hand and began chuckling, trying to be subtle about it.

"Don't laugh at me." Diana was flushed red as she squirmed in embarrassment. "You're supposed to do your best at those games! And I was owed a prize!"

"I would have paid actual money to see those events unfold." He kept laughing.

"Whatever Bruce." Diana sipped her iced tea to cool down as her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

"You probably scared the fair attendees half to death." He teased as Diana grumbled. "You're a remarkable woman, and what you did will never be forgotten."

Diana's pouting face was now one of seriousness. Their blue eyes interlocked and both understood that the serious matters were about to be addressed.

"If we do this, our commitment to the Justice League, as well as protecting the world comes first. Understand?"

"I can accept that."

"Will you though?"

"I'm prepared to. As heroes, we can't expect to have normal social lives right?"

"I'm going to be as blunt as I can Diana. As a founding member of the League, and the full time protector of Gotham, time is a commodity I don't have much of. We will not get to go out like this often, and more often than not, I will be consumed by my work.

"That just means I'll have to drop in unexpectedly."

"I'm serious."

"So am I. I just have to input five digits and I'm in right?" She gave him a mischievous smirk.

Bruce's face was a bit peeved as he remembered the code he gave her in the letter. "I can always change the code."

"I can always bust your door down."

"…" He rolled his eyes.

"I don't think you fully know what you're getting yourself into." She teased.

"Guess I'll find out…"

Diana raised an eyebrow as her heartbeat increased ever so slightly.

"All that being said…" Bruce rubbed the back of his neck. "Do you want to…"

"Yes!"

"You didn't even let me finish!"

Diana rose up from her chair and grabbed Bruce by the arm leading him to the edge of the private balcony. She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him beaming while his face started to become several shades redder. The music in the background serenated the intimate moment.

"Fine then Mr. Wayne. Continue."

He cleared his throat as he begrudgingly returned her embrace. "Do you want to be mutually exclusive?"

"That was the least romantic way to phrase 'will you go out with me' I have ever heard." She inched closer to him until their lips were engaged. There was no Frenching, just a passionate, fiery kiss.

"And incidentally, yes."


	16. Before the Stars Cross

**Final Chapter. I totally borrowed a line from Superman/Batman: Public Enemies when it came to Bruce Wayne being carried. Although this story is wrapped up, the WonderBat relationship isn't, as we clearly saw hints of it throughout Justice League Unlimited. This chapter takes place right before the three part Starscrossed episode, hence the title. Thank you all for your kind reviews and constructive feedback on private messaging.**

* * *

**CH16: Before the Stars Cross**

Bruce and Diana stood on the balcony overseeing the main dance floor. He snaked his arm around her waist, tracing the wicked curves her crimson dress emphasized whilst she leaned into him. They would occasionally notice other couples looking at them in curiosity while the waitresses geeked out over having the princess of Themyscira in the same building as them. The more Bruce thought about it, the more he realized he wasn't the prime focus of attention anymore, she was. A reemerging billionaire only attracted so much fascination compared to the goddess of the Justice League. She already was a symbol of strength to women similarly to how Superman was a role model for men. Take into account the sexy dress she was wearing in addition to her influence, it was no wonder why Bruce practically felt invisible next to her in public.

"Guess I'm attracting too much attention." She said sheepishly. "Sorry…"

He merely shrugged. "Better you than me. Times like this where I prefer being in the background." He took a sip of his drink.

"The spotlight may be on me, but it illuminates you all the same. Except now, aside from being recognized for your partying antics, you'll be known for dating Wonder Woman." She said matter a factly. "I'm the hero with the normal boyfriend, so basically, you're my damsel in distress."

"Ridiculous." Bruce looked away as his annoyance started to show. Normal boyfriend? As if.

"If you really think about it," She continued to tease as she played with his suit buttons, "you're the equivalent of Superman's Lois Lane."

Bruce's eye twitched being compared to his ex who was known for being kidnapped on a daily basis by supervillains. "I am Gotham's billionaire playboy philanthropist with an IQ of 192 and an arsenal of weapons at his disposal. I know most of the world's martial art styles and can bench press close to 1000 pounds. I am far from being a damsel in distress!"

Diana giggled at his irritation. "If you say so." She coddled his arm as she admired the architecture of the Iceberg Lounge, amazed man's world was even capable of such intricate planning. "This place is amazing. How did you know about it?" She shifted subjects.

"I've been here once before. While I'm not too fond of the owner I will admit this place is impressive from a business standpoint."

"Is the owner a criminal or something?"

"WAS a criminal. I am now reformed."

Diana and Bruce turned their attention to the source of the remark and watched Penguin approach them with his two bodyguards. He was still pudgy and wore that ridiculous top hat paired with the monocle he wore on his right eye. The umbrella Bruce was all to familiar with was being used as a cane to support the audacity he had to interrupt their evening.

"So the rumors are true, Mr. Wayne has resurfaced and is at my establishment. And with the Amazon princess herself." He looked over Diana before taking her hand and kissing it in a flattering manner.

She looked at him suspiciously maintaining a calm appearance on the outside while an uncomfortable shiver from the creep factor worked its way up her spine.

"Oswald." Bruce crossed his arms. "Something I can do for you?"

"Just wanted to see if there was any legitimacy to the whispers that were circulating." He adjusted his monocle taking a more serious demeanor. "Furthermore, I have a reputation to uphold here at the Iceberg Lounge. As charming as your guest is, I don't think many of my… clients… would be too happy to find out members of the Justice League are starting to come here."

"Thought you could use the publicity." Bruce shrugged smugly.

"Yes well, this kind of attention I can do well without. It's bad enough that I have Batman investigating my affairs. The last time he was here some crazy Batwoman joined him. They ended up wrecking the place and I had to close down for renovations! Do you have any idea how high my insurance premiums rose after that?"

"Maybe you need better security." Bruce smirked.

"That may be, but you can only do so much against the caped crusader and his dysfunctional family. Nevertheless, you can imagine my concern having her here." Penguin pointed at Diana rudely with his umbrella, a dynamic change from his flirtatious introduction moments ago. "I can only think of the high level thugs that she will attract, not to mention the mob you already brought with you."

"Mob?" Bruce asked.

Penguin faced the Lounge's entrance where dozens of paparazzi and photographers could be seen through the glass doors. They were practically climbing over each other hoping to get a shot of the billionaire with his Amazon girlfriend. The only thing keeping them at bay were the security guards who were undoubtedly going to demand a raise after dealing with the nonsense.

Bruce had a look of pure annoyance as he rubbed his temples to ease the stress. The paparazzi was something he definitely did not miss as a celebrity. "We're leaving through the back." He demanded.

Oswald gave a look of dislike. "Well since you asked so nicely… this way."

They entered the massive kitchen and made their way through the freezer storage approaching a vault-like door. Penguin typed the code on a camouflaged keypad and a hidden corridor was revealed. Both Bruce and Diana stared at him suspiciously.

"What? The business I run practically demands that I have one of these. Head straight back and for heaven's sake, wait for the door to open before you decide to use brute force." He practically ordered Diana.

The vault door closed behind them and the two walked in the dimly lit corridor towards the end. A commotion outside got louder the closer they got and Bruce dreaded walking out. The exit door began to retract and they could see flashes of light bleeding though the crack.

"So much for a secret exit. Maybe we should have just punched a hole in the ceiling and left that way…" Bruce seriously contemplated.

"Oh come on, how bad can they get?"

"Just wait…"

The door no longer covered them and they were progressively inundated with bursts of light from the cameras. The mob consisted of professional paparazzi, as well as fanboys of Wonder Woman which proved to be disconcerting when one in particular made no effort to hide the fact that he was capturing certain busty parts of the Amazon.

She grabbed the camera and crushed it effortlessly while it was still in the creeper's hands, death glaring him. She turned to Bruce and gave him a look of empathy. "Point taken."

"I'll call Alfred for emergency pickup."

"No need." She scooped Bruce up in her arms and took off into the sky leaving the savages behind. The bright flashes of light dwindled into a faint glow as they gained altitude. She smirked when she saw his uneasiness, occasionally looking below sweating at the thought of how high they were. The clouds enveloped them until Diana finally topped the troposphere.

"Is flying this high really necessary?" He deadpanned.

"Does it make you nervous?"

Bruce's tie was now flopping about, occasionally slapping him in the face due to the powerful air currents. "It's… unnerving." He snatched the loose piece of fabric and pinned it down with his free hand.

"Doesn't Superman carry you sometimes?"

"Between you and me… I hate that."

"And when it's me?"

"Still hate it." He lifted an eyebrow.

The soaring couple eventually found themselves back at Wayne Manor and touched down in the courtyard.

"Well, this was… something." The tie which was originally in a traditional Windsor knot was now draped on either side of Bruce's neck untied.

Diana grabbed both ends of it and pulled him in aggressively for a kiss. "I had a lovely time."

He cleared his throat and begrudgingly crumpled up the tie which has caused much annoyance, shoving it into his suit pocket. He motioned for her to follow him with a single nod as he began to head towards the manor. They both knew what was going to happen the moment they walked in, so Bruce wanted to convey his sincerity now.

They paused in front of his granite fountain as he turned to face her, the words picked beforehand and rehearsed several times.

"Listen… thanks for your help with Bane, for Christmas, and the gift."

She smiled as she grabbed his hand. Both stood under the crescent moon with the sound of running water in the background, soaking each other's company like sponges for what seemed like hours before heading inside. Once their romantic evening was over, it was back to business.

Diana was rudely awakened in Bruce's bed by a gentle nudge on the shoulder that evolved into a shove when she didn't respond.

"Wake up."

"Hmmm what?" Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when she saw that it was 4:00am. "This better be an end of the world scenario or I'm going to rip your head off..."

"It's something like that. We have a mission. Get dressed."

…

Batman and Wonder Woman made their way to the main conference room on the watchtower.

"I can't believe we have a mission already." She yawned.

"You didn't expect it to be all fun and games did you?"

"I was hoping I would at least be able to sleep in till daybreak." The distasteful look she gave Batman made him smirk a bit.

"Hate to disappoint."

The duo walked into the briefing room with intensity as they and the remaining members took their seats around the table. Batman with a prepared slideshow took point to explain their mission.

"As you all know, queen Audrey has been the sole ruler of Kasnia for several months now. Under her authority, it has become a very prosperous country and holds high promise in regards to trade and industry opportunities. Thus the United Nations unanimously voted to lift the economic sanctions previously placed on it due to the unstable Regent that ruled before her."

"Her father." Green Lantern stated the obvious.

"Correct. With Kasnia on its way to joining the U.N., several appointed delegates will be attending the International Peace Summit tomorrow to discuss further litigation and establish relations with the countries."

"So queen Audrey herself won't be there?" Wonder Woman asked curiously since she hasn't seen her royal majesty since they took down Vandal Savage all those months ago.

"I'm guessing she's too busy. Hence the delegates." Hawkgirl chimed in.

"I assume a meeting this sensitive is bound to attract some unwanted attention."

"Naturally, J'ohn. I did some digging on the dark net and found out that an unnamed terrorist group has targeted it. The group could be Kasnian, or foreign, but if they do have something planned, we'll be there to stop it. The Summit will take place in Washington D.C." Batman switched to a slide outlining strategic positionings for the team. "Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, and Green Lantern, you will be our air support. If you see anything suspicious, the ground team will intercept immediately. Flash and J'ohn, you will be the ground team. Until you get an SOS, patrol the immediate and surrounding areas."

Superman raised a brow. "I assume you have something special planned for me since the air patrol is covered."

"As a matter of fact, I do. You'll be undercover inside the actual meeting. On the off hand chance that terrorists do manage to get in undetected, you'll be there as a contingency. As for me, I'll be atop the capitol building to cover our blind spots."

"Sounds good. So what time does this Peace Summit thingy happen?" Flash asked bored.

"It happens tomorrow, meaning we will be in position as soon as this meeting is over."

The entire room sighed disappointed.

"I hate stakeout missions." The speedster emphasized. "We can be there to protect the summit when it starts and not days in advance." He exaggerated.

Batman gave the entire room his signature bat-glare and sure enough, he had their undivided attention again.

"Getting there early will allow us time to scout the area before the actual summit to make sure it hasn't been tampered with. Additionally, the prolonged presence of the Justice League will hopefully deter the terrorists from fulfilling their threats. If you don't like stakeout missions," Batman directed his remark to the hopeful speedster, "I suggest you get over it."

Flash's optimistic expression turned into annoyance as he crossed his arms defeated. He knew he was never going to out argue the caped crusader.

"You have your assignments. Get it done."

While the rest of the Leaguers went on ahead, Diana purposely delayed Batman by grabbing his arm.

"So after this mission is over, I was thinking maybe we could do something if you aren't busy?"

He just stared at the hand that was still holding onto him. "You know, if Diana of Themyscira is dating Bruce Wayne, she can't be seen cozying up to Batman."

"In public."

"Or on the watchtower."

She made a scrunched up face.

"When the Peace Summit is over I'll be heading back to Gotham. I still have several criminals to track down from the Arkham breakout."

"Great. We should be able to capture them before the end of the week." She walked on ahead.

"We?" Batman lifted an eyebrow.

She paused, looking back at him for a moment giving him a smile similar to the one at his parent's mausoleum. The sincerity expressed that he was no longer alone when it came to companionship, or watching over his great city. Her stubbornness definitely clashed with his one track, unchangeable mind, but it was a dynamic that would overall prove to be healthy for him. She continued down the corridor leaving Bruce alone with his thoughts, reminiscing about how their relationship started in a city full of gorillas. The planted emotions were brought out over the holidays and have since developed into actual commitment. With her finally out of view, Bruce cracked a smile.


	17. Author's Notes

**Author's Notes**

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for the positive reviews I have gotten. They mean a lot!

Secondly, I'm going to allocate this "Chapter" to address and answer the anonymous reviews/questions since I am getting quite a few. Some of the responses I have will be long which is why I'm putting them on here.

* * *

**Where are Robin and Nightwing?**

An anonymous reviewer brought up a good question about how Batman could be alone during the holidays when he has Robin and Nightwing. Depending on what source you go to, it's hard to truly determine the consistencies between _The New Batman Adventures (TNBA)_ and _Justice League/Justice League Unlimited_. During the Justice League series, I believe Batman was still at odds with Nightwing since the episode "Old Wounds" from TNBA. Additionally, Bruce and Barbara Gordon dated on and off again which Nightwing resented him for. He is currently Blüdhaven's protector while Barbara if off in college (Seen in the _Mystery of the Batwoman_). As for Tim Drake (The second Robin), Joker turns him into Kid Joker (Seen in _Batman Beyond Return of the Joker_) in the middle or towards the end of the end of the JL series. The entire ordeal resolves with the death of the Joker and the removal of Tim as Robin due to his trauma. This is why Joker doesn't return in JLU. So canonically explained, it's just Batman and Alfred for the holidays.

**Diana is weak by no means.**

An anonymous review suggested that a lot of story writers that support this ship have Wonder Woman "beg" for love, thus making a strong woman vulnerable for male attention. Additionally they mentioned how any decent woman wouldn't put up with the type of treatment Batman gives her.

That's not how I want this story to be interpreted and I hope you readers don't see it that way either. A Silent Dark Knight is fun for me to write personally because I would have loved to see more of this relationship in the series.

But in regards to this story, we have to keep in mind that in the JL animated series, Wonder Woman has never set foot in man's world let alone talked to one until she left Themyscira during the White Martian invasion in the episode "Secret Origins". Up till that point, her life had consisted of being taught that men were inferior, evil, and not worth saving according to her mother and traditional Amazon culture. In the third part of "Secret Origins", Diana briefly agrees with her mother's teachings when she and Martian Manhunter saw how destructive man could be during the mass hysteria. But she eventually saw the good in mankind displayed consistently by the male league members and others in the episodes that followed. Thus the perspective she had on men based on what she was taught was already beginning to transform.

Amazons are warriors born with a sole love for battle and interacting with men is severely frowned upon to say the least. Could you imagine if the PRINCESS of the Amazons, one who was sure to have been raised with these values more strictly than the average Amazon, found herself starting to like a normal human male? The concept of men let alone liking one was completely new to her. So when she first started to like Batman it is quite possible she had no idea how to approach the situation and would undoubtedly be nervous.

Thus **I definitely wouldn't call the interactions between Diana and Bruce as** **her "begging" for love**. It's more like she's trying to find the right approach. In the JLU episode "Kids' Stuff" we constantly see Wonder Girl take initiative by flirting with Batboy several times. More notably she wasn't afraid of assigning herself as Batboy's partner during the team assault on Mordred. So we know for a fact that she isn't afraid to persevere when it comes to her feelings towards Bruce as well as being the initiator. So I took those qualities and applied them to this story.

**Furthermore, while some human beings don't put up with the type of treatment Bruce gives her, it is undisputable that some do.** But Wonder Woman putting up with Batman's treatment in this case isn't a sign that she is weak or has no self respect, rather I see it as someone who is strong enough to persevere and endure it for a greater payoff. After all, this case of rejection is not because the other party doesn't feel the same (because Batman clearly does, he even admits it in the JLU episode "This Little Piggy"), it's a case of rejection based on keeping those he cares about safe.

**So Batman essentially telling Diana to go away in the second chapter of the story displays concern stemming from his affections towards her**. Because in his hero experience, those closest to him often suffer the most (Jason Todd in the movie "Batman: Under the Red Hood", Jim and Barbara Gordon in the movie "Batman: The Killing Joke", etc.). I wouldn't call it love, but I'm sure he at least has a crush on Diana at this point in the series.

Bottom line is, this is just a Fanfic, but I do try to incorporate a lot of the original content in all my stories, in this case Diana's unique interactions when it came to her crush on Batman, as well as Bruce's typical cold responses to her advances as he demonstrated in "This Little Piggy".

**Diana's Height**

I seemed to have made a little error which I have corrected regarding the stature of the Amazon princess. In "The Brave and the Bold" after the Justice League saved Gorilla City there are several scenes where Diana and Bruce are side by side and you can clearly see she is taller than him by at least one or two inches. Then it makes sense that she would be shorter than Bruce outside of costume since she fights crime in high heels.


End file.
